There were 111 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Texas in the week ending Oct. 15, making up 4.5% of total deaths by all causes in Texas, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, there were 2,493 deaths in the state. 20.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.7% were from cancer and 5.1% were from COVID-19.

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	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	592	23.7
Heart disease	500	20.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	154	6.2
Alzheimer's disease	137	5.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	111	4.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	78	3.1
Diabetes mellitus	64	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	51	2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	49	2
Influenza and pneumonia	19	0.8