There were 101 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Texas during the week ending Sept. 24, 2022, a 15.1% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 24, 2022, there were 4,398 deaths in the state. 20.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 5.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10% 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 Sept. 24, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022
Heart disease	883	878
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	870	804
Cerebrovascular diseases	223	223
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	200	188
Alzheimer's disease	189	173
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	158	166
Diabetes mellitus	148	147
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	101	119
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	94	92
Influenza and pneumonia	53	31

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 24, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 17, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	439	402