Buckeye Reporter

There were 37 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Ohio during the week ending April 16, 2022, a 33.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 16, 2022, there were 1,498 deaths in the state. 21.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.5% were from cancer and 3.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.3% 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	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Heart disease	317	423
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	277	347
Cerebrovascular diseases	88	122
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	81	103
Alzheimer's disease	65	66
Diabetes mellitus	38	66
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	37	56
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	35	30
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	33
Influenza and pneumonia	11	22

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	140	159