Rushmore State News

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in South Dakota during the week ending June 24, an increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 24, there were 151 deaths in the state. 17.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.2% were from cancer and less than 6.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.3% 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 June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	35	34
Heart disease	26	34
Cerebrovascular diseases	10	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10
Alzheimer's disease	< 10	< 10
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	0
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	0

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Alzheimer disease and dementia	14	18