Great Lakes Wire

There were 52 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan in the week ending Dec. 10, 2022, making up 2.6% of total deaths by all causes in Michigan, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 10, 2022, there were 1,967 deaths in the state. 23.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.6% were from cancer and 7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.8% 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	469	23.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	366	18.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	113	5.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	94	4.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	85	4.3
Alzheimer's disease	80	4.1
Diabetes mellitus	66	3.4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	52	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	36	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	33	1.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	173	8.8