The Sconi

There were 34 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, a 38.2% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, there were 982 deaths in the state. 21.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2% were from cancer and 5.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.7% 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. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Heart disease	211	222
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	189	228
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	49	42
Cerebrovascular diseases	45	53
Alzheimer's disease	35	37
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	34	55
Diabetes mellitus	18	27
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	17	37
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	13	15
Influenza and pneumonia	10	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	85	83