There were 121 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Texas during the week ending March 26, 2022, a 37.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 26, 2022, there were 2,742 deaths in the state. 20% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.4% were from cancer and 7.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.4% 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	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Heart disease	548	668
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	532	546
Alzheimer's disease	148	146
Cerebrovascular diseases	141	173
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	139	161
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	121	193
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	92	152
Diabetes mellitus	62	96
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	61	58
Influenza and pneumonia	28	34

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 26, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending March 19, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	313	304