Great Lakes Wire

There were 43 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Michigan in the week ending August 7, making up 2.2 percent of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 7, there were 1,921 deaths in the state. 23.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.6 percent were from cancer and 4 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.7 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	448	23.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	415	21.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	100	5.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	90	4.7
Alzheimer's disease	70	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	51	2.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	43	2.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	34	1.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	34	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	18	0.9

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	147	7.7