Great Lakes Wire

There were 33 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Michigan in the week ending July 24, making up 1.8 percent of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 24, there were 1,876 deaths in the state. 24 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.9 percent were from cancer and 3.3 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.2 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	451	24
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	429	22.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	111	5.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	91	4.9
Alzheimer's disease	59	3.1
Diabetes mellitus	48	2.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	33	1.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	29	1.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	1.5
Influenza and pneumonia	27	1.4

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	117	6.2