The Sconi

There were 42 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending May 15, 2021, a 10.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 15, 2021, there were 988 deaths in the state. 23.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.5% were from cancer and 7.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.1% 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 May 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Heart disease	229	220
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	212	193
Cerebrovascular diseases	51	42
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	42	38
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	36
Alzheimer's disease	35	44
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	32	28
Diabetes mellitus	28	38
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	13
Influenza and pneumonia	10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	80	102