Enchantment State News

There were 24 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in New Mexico during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 33.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 305 deaths in the state. 18% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17% were from cancer and 13.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.5% of deaths were from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Studies show doctors and medical examiners may underreport Alzheimer's disease and dementia-related conditions as the underlying cause of death on death certificates, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Once infected, older adults with dementia are likely to develop a more severe and dangerous illness. The diseases which make an older adult more vulnerable to COVID-19 are age-associated chronic conditions, according to the Bright Focus Foundation.

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Heart disease	55	62
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	52	74
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	24	18
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	16	15
Cerebrovascular diseases	14	17
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	11
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	21

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	23	20