The Sconi

There were 23 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending March 5, a 61.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending March 5, there were 778 deaths in the state. 22.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.5% were from cancer and 7.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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 March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	183	174
Heart disease	175	212
Alzheimer's disease	36	38
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	34	86
Cerebrovascular diseases	33	37
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	30	50
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	23	60
Diabetes mellitus	17	19
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending March 5	Deaths in Week Ending Feb. 26
Alzheimer disease and dementia	80	95