There were 42 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Texas during the week ending September 11, a 26.3 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 11, there were 6,294 deaths in the state. 14.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 12 percent were from cancer and 65.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.8 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 2021-09-11	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04
Heart disease	914	917
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	754	857
Cerebrovascular diseases	203	230
Alzheimer's disease	201	195
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	191	184
Diabetes mellitus	170	150
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	74	102
Influenza and pneumonia	42	57
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	2,014	2,138
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	2,095	2,216

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-11	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04
Alzheimer disease and dementia	426	409