Buckeye Reporter

There were 53 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending June 4, 2022, a 32.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 4, 2022, there were 1,994 deaths in the state. 20.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and 6.5% 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	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	420	409
Heart disease	413	463
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	136	99
Cerebrovascular diseases	112	104
Alzheimer's disease	87	79
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	76	66
Diabetes mellitus	61	54
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	53	40
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	42	42
Influenza and pneumonia	28	23

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 4, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 28, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	182	165