There were 969 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Texas during the week ending June 24, a 6.6% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 24, there were 4,362 deaths in the state. 22.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 1.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.5% 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 June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Heart disease	969	909
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	865	840
Alzheimer's disease	207	183
Cerebrovascular diseases	205	236
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	176	175
Diabetes mellitus	135	141
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	105	100
Influenza and pneumonia	42	32
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	34	38
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	22	24

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 24	Deaths in Week Ending June 17
Alzheimer disease and dementia	414	414