Buckeye Reporter

There were 68 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio in the week ending Nov. 5, making up 2.6% of total deaths by all causes in Ohio, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 5, there were 2,607 deaths in the state. 22.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.1% were from cancer and 6.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.4% 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	586	22.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	472	18.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	141	5.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	140	5.4
Alzheimer's disease	116	4.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	101	3.9
Diabetes mellitus	82	3.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	68	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	45	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	34	1.3

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	246	9.4