Great Lakes Wire

There were 28 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Michigan during the week ending May 7, 2022, a 20% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 7, 2022, there were 1,386 deaths in the state. 26.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and 5.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.7% 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 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Heart disease	367	417
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	292	365
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	68	100
Alzheimer's disease	62	72
Cerebrovascular diseases	56	86
Diabetes mellitus	50	38
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	46	43
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	29	42
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	28	35
Influenza and pneumonia	20	27

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	107	129