Great Lakes Wire

There were 99 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan in the week ending August 21, making up 4.9 percent of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 2,031 deaths in the state. 23.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19 percent were from cancer and 10.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.6 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	472	23.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	386	19
Cerebrovascular diseases	118	5.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	109	5.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	99	4.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	97	4.8
Alzheimer's disease	74	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	54	2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	40	2
Influenza and pneumonia	25	1.2

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	155	7.6