The Sconi

There were 22 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Wisconsin during the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, a 4.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 15, 2022, there were 1,167 deaths in the state. 22.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.5% were from cancer and 4.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.5% 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 Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Heart disease	264	225
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	239	234
Cerebrovascular diseases	51	62
Alzheimer's disease	47	51
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	43	52
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	32	33
Diabetes mellitus	31	30
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	22	23
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	20
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 15, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 8, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	122	112