The Sconi

There were 59 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Wisconsin in the week ending Dec. 24, making up 6.1% of total deaths by all causes in Wisconsin, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 24, there were 973 deaths in the state. 22.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 10% 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	221	22.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	208	21.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	62	6.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	59	6.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	46	4.7
Alzheimer's disease	42	4.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	38	3.9
Influenza and pneumonia	23	2.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	19	2
Diabetes mellitus	14	1.4

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	115	11.8