Buckeye Reporter

There were 75 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio in the week ending Nov. 12, making up three% of total deaths by all causes in Ohio, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, there were 2,517 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8% were from cancer and 7.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.3% 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	538	21.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	472	18.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	120	4.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	115	4.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	112	4.4
Alzheimer's disease	104	4.1
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	75	3
Diabetes mellitus	69	2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	51	2
Influenza and pneumonia	27	1.1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	233	9.3