Buckeye Reporter

There were 19 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Ohio in the week ending June 17, making up 0.8% of total deaths by all causes in Ohio, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 2,403 deaths in the state. 21.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.4% were from cancer and 1.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8% 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	520	21.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	490	20.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	141	5.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	131	5.5
Alzheimer's disease	82	3.4
Diabetes mellitus	69	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	43	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	25	1
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	0.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	0.5

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	193	8