Buckeye Reporter

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio in the week ending July 15, making up less than 0.5% of total deaths by all causes in Ohio, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 15, there were 2,178 deaths in the state. 21.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 0.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.9% 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	464	21.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	432	19.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	150	6.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	92	4.2
Alzheimer's disease	78	3.6
Diabetes mellitus	67	3.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	38	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	34	1.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	13	0.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.5

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	193	8.9