There were 2,105 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Texas during the week ending September 4, a 3.2 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 4, there were 6,372 deaths in the state. 14 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 13.2 percent were from cancer and 67.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.3 percent 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	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04	Number of Deaths 2021-08-28
Heart disease	893	954
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	842	842
Cerebrovascular diseases	226	222
Alzheimer's disease	192	198
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	180	206
Diabetes mellitus	147	166
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	102	80
Influenza and pneumonia	57	65
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	2,105	2,039
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	2,182	2,143

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04	Number of Deaths 2021-08-28
Alzheimer disease and dementia	404	421