There were 781 deaths from cancer reported in Texas in the week ending Aug. 5, making up 20.6% of total deaths by all causes in Texas, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 5, there were 3,796 deaths in the state. 20.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.6% were from cancer and 2.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	781	20.6
Heart disease	775	20.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	214	5.6
Alzheimer's disease	189	5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	162	4.3
Diabetes mellitus	92	2.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	71	1.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	47	1.2
Influenza and pneumonia	39	1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	38	1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	372	9.8