Buckeye Reporter

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio in the week ending July 22, 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 22, there were 2,205 deaths in the state. 20.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.3% were from cancer and 0.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.9% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	470	21.3
Heart disease	456	20.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	131	5.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	111	5
Alzheimer's disease	87	3.9
Diabetes mellitus	60	2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	41	1.9
Influenza and pneumonia	20	0.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	0.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.5

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	174	7.9