Buckeye Reporter

There were 117 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio in the week ending May 1, making up 4.9 percent of total deaths by all causes in Ohio, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, there were 2,398 deaths in the state. 20.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.5 percent were from cancer and 10.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	499	20.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	468	19.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	135	5.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	122	5.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	117	4.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	109	4.5
Alzheimer's disease	84	3.5
Diabetes mellitus	81	3.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	35	1.5
Influenza and pneumonia	25	1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	191	8