Great Lakes Wire

There were 270 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Michigan in the week ending May 22, making up 12.4 percent of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, there were 2,181 deaths in the state. 21.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.7 percent were from cancer and 23.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.8 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	466	21.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	408	18.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	270	12.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	239	11
Cerebrovascular diseases	113	5.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	92	4.2
Alzheimer's disease	84	3.9
Diabetes mellitus	65	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	39	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	23	1.1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	170	7.8