Buckeye Reporter

There were 19 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Ohio in the week ending June 24, making up 0.9% of total deaths by all causes in Ohio, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 24, there were 2,232 deaths in the state. 22.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.8% were from cancer and 1.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1% 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	494	22.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	464	20.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	126	5.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	122	5.5
Alzheimer's disease	90	4
Diabetes mellitus	71	3.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	39	1.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	0.9
Influenza and pneumonia	17	0.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	0.6

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	202	9.1