There were 171 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Texas during the week ending July 23, 2022, a 5.6% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 23, 2022, there were 4,407 deaths in the state. 20.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.1% were from cancer and 9.1% 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	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Heart disease	884	818
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	841	789
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	229	225
Cerebrovascular diseases	210	222
Alzheimer's disease	200	197
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	171	162
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	159	185
Diabetes mellitus	129	143
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	92	83
Influenza and pneumonia	30	43

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	430	408