Great Lakes Wire

There were 129 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan in the week ending June 5, making up 6.6 percent of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 5, there were 1,944 deaths in the state. 22.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.5 percent were from cancer and 14.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5 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	444	22.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	380	19.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	149	7.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	129	6.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	95	4.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	93	4.8
Alzheimer's disease	92	4.7
Diabetes mellitus	57	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	38	2
Influenza and pneumonia	17	0.9

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	165	8.5