Great Lakes Wire

There were 68 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan in the week ending August 14, making up 3.5 percent of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 14, there were 1,936 deaths in the state. 24.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.6 percent were from cancer and 7.9 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.4 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	471	24.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	398	20.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	92	4.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	88	4.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	85	4.4
Alzheimer's disease	69	3.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	68	3.5
Diabetes mellitus	56	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	29	1.5
Influenza and pneumonia	14	0.7

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	143	7.4