The Sconi

There were 11 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin in the week ending May 21, making up 1.8% of total deaths by all causes in Wisconsin, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 21, there were 624 deaths in the state. 24.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.8% were from cancer and 4.5% were from COVID-19.

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	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	152	24.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	130	20.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	34	5.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	30	4.8
Alzheimer's disease	25	4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	18	2.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	17	2.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.6
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 1.6