Enchantment State News

There were 20 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in New Mexico during the week ending July 16, 2022, no changes from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 16, 2022, there were 316 deaths in the state. 18.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.7% were from cancer and 11.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.1% 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 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	59	70
Heart disease	59	49
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	20	20
Alzheimer's disease	17	10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	21
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	15
Cerebrovascular diseases	11	18
Diabetes mellitus	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	32	26