Buckeye Reporter

There were 87 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, a 11.2% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, there were 2,285 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.9% were from cancer and 9.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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 Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Heart disease	469	490
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	431	440
Cerebrovascular diseases	128	135
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	125	141
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	109	111
Alzheimer's disease	98	96
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	87	98
Diabetes mellitus	65	71
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	41
Influenza and pneumonia	16	25

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	225	204