Buckeye Reporter

There were 137 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Ohio in the week ending Dec. 17, making up 5.8% of total deaths by all causes in Ohio, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 17, there were 2,379 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.9% were from cancer and 9.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.7% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	488	20.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	426	17.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	137	5.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	132	5.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	122	5.1
Alzheimer's disease	114	4.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	89	3.7
Influenza and pneumonia	64	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	50	2.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	40	1.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	279	11.7