There were 109 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Texas in the week ending Dec. 3, making up 2.4% of total deaths by all causes in Texas, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 3, there were 4,629 deaths in the state. 21.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.3% were from cancer and 4.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.1% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	980	21.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	847	18.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	251	5.4
Alzheimer's disease	226	4.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	226	4.9
Diabetes mellitus	154	3.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	133	2.9
Influenza and pneumonia	109	2.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	91	2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	85	1.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	514	11.1