The Sconi

There were 39 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin in the week ending Nov. 12, making up 3.4% of total deaths by all causes in Wisconsin, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 12, there were 1,148 deaths in the state. 18.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 9.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	227	19.8
Heart disease	213	18.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	69	6
Cerebrovascular diseases	51	4.4
Alzheimer's disease	48	4.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	3.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	39	3.4
Diabetes mellitus	34	3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	2
Influenza and pneumonia	19	1.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	122	10.6