Buckeye Reporter

There were 98 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Ohio during the week ending Oct. 22, 2022, a 1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 22, 2022, there were 2,504 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.7% were from cancer and 6.7% 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 Oct. 22, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022
Heart disease	535	515
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	467	485
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	124	121
Cerebrovascular diseases	123	133
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	98	97
Alzheimer's disease	92	82
Diabetes mellitus	79	77
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	71	64
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	60	58
Influenza and pneumonia	33	31

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	206	209