Great Lakes Wire

There were 116 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Michigan in the week ending Nov. 5, making up 5.5% of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 5, there were 2,091 deaths in the state. 24.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 8.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.9% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	511	24.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	415	19.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	121	5.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	116	5.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	87	4.2
Alzheimer's disease	78	3.7
Diabetes mellitus	69	3.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	67	3.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	38	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	29	1.4

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	165	7.9