Buckeye Reporter

There were 56 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending July 16, 2022, a 14.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 16, 2022, there were 2,268 deaths in the state. 21.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 6.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.2% 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 July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Heart disease	484	450
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	449	458
Cerebrovascular diseases	115	132
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	107	127
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	90	70
Alzheimer's disease	82	90
Diabetes mellitus	68	58
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	56	49
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	46	43
Influenza and pneumonia	16	25

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	187	183