The Sconi

There were 201 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending Jan. 1, a 17.6 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 1, there were 1,214 deaths in the state. 19.9 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14 percent were from cancer and 37 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9 percent 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	Number of Deaths 2022-01-01	Number of Deaths 2021-12-25
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	248	279
Heart disease	241	234
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	201	244
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	170	223
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	55	50
Alzheimer's disease	53	65
Diabetes mellitus	24	31
Cerebrovascular diseases	24	51
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	19
Influenza and pneumonia	13	13

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-01-01	Number of Deaths 2021-12-25
Alzheimer disease and dementia	120	154