Great Lakes Wire

There were 20 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan in the week ending July 3, making up 1.1 percent of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 3, there were 1,855 deaths in the state. 24.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.3 percent were from cancer and 2.9 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	452	24.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	377	20.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	100	5.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	95	5.1
Alzheimer's disease	69	3.7
Diabetes mellitus	54	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	1.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	33	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	25	1.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	20	1.1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	145	7.8