Buckeye Reporter

There were 68 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Ohio during the week ending Nov. 5, 2022, a 9.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 5, 2022, there were 2,607 deaths in the state. 22.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.1% were from cancer and 6.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.4% 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 Nov. 5, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022
Heart disease	586	535
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	472	459
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	141	127
Cerebrovascular diseases	140	148
Alzheimer's disease	116	95
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	101	119
Diabetes mellitus	82	75
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	68	75
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	45	43
Influenza and pneumonia	34	36

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	246	229