Great Lakes Wire

There were 382 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan during the week ending May 1, 2021, a 14.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, 2021, there were 2,271 deaths in the state. 19.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.5% were from cancer and 35.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.5% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Heart disease	434	473
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	423	485
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	382	446
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	375	384
Cerebrovascular diseases	108	105
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	84	100
Alzheimer's disease	72	70
Diabetes mellitus	68	66
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	40
Influenza and pneumonia	19	21

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	148	142