There were 65 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Texas in the week ending Dec. 24, making up 1.9% of total deaths by all causes in Texas, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 24, there were 3,404 deaths in the state. 22.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.7% were from cancer and 7.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 14.9% 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	766	22.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	671	19.7
Alzheimer's disease	197	5.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	179	5.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	158	4.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	143	4.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	112	3.3
Diabetes mellitus	101	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	69	2
Influenza and pneumonia	65	1.9

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	506	14.9