The Sconi

There were 48 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Wisconsin in the week ending Dec. 17, making up 4.5% of total deaths by all causes in Wisconsin, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 17, there were 1,055 deaths in the state. 23% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.5% were from cancer and 7.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 11.8% 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
Heart disease	243	23
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	227	21.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	48	4.5
Alzheimer's disease	46	4.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	46	4.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	37	3.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	29	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	26	2.5
Diabetes mellitus	22	2.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	1.2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	125	11.8