Great Lakes Wire

There were 19 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan during the week ending April 23, 2022, a 17.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 23, 2022, there were 1,265 deaths in the state. 26.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 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	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Heart disease	335	339
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	271	292
Cerebrovascular diseases	77	78
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	65	82
Alzheimer's disease	59	69
Diabetes mellitus	36	41
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	32	41
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	25
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	19	23
Influenza and pneumonia	12	14

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	114	129