Great Lakes Wire

There were 394 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan in the week ending December 25, making up 25.4 percent of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending December 25, there were 1,551 deaths in the state. 17.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.3 percent were from cancer and 52.9 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
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	426	27.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	394	25.4
Heart disease	276	17.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	237	15.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	74	4.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	73	4.7
Alzheimer's disease	60	3.9
Diabetes mellitus	32	2.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	22	1.4
Influenza and pneumonia	14	0.9

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	120	7.7