The Sconi

There were 23 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending Aug. 6, 2022, a 4.2% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 6, 2022, there were 1,026 deaths in the state. 22.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.1% were from cancer and 6.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.4% 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 Aug. 6, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022
Heart disease	227	240
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	186	224
Cerebrovascular diseases	49	38
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	46	45
Alzheimer's disease	44	40
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	42	41
Diabetes mellitus	24	32
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	23	24
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	13
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 6, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	96	97