There were 139 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Texas in the week ending Dec. 17, making up 3.8% of total deaths by all causes in Texas, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 17, there were 3,692 deaths in the state. 21.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.6% were from cancer and 6.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12% 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	808	21.9
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	724	19.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	200	5.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	194	5.3
Alzheimer's disease	189	5.1
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	139	3.8
Diabetes mellitus	117	3.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	105	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	87	2.4
Influenza and pneumonia	82	2.2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	442	12