Prairie State Wire

There were 61 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Illinois in the week ending June 26, making up 3.1 percent of total deaths by all causes in Illinois, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 26, there were 1,989 deaths in the state. 21.7 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.7 percent were from cancer and 5.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.4 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	431	21.7
Heart disease	431	21.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	109	5.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	85	4.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	61	3.1
Diabetes mellitus	57	2.9
Alzheimer's disease	56	2.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	53	2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	45	2.3
Influenza and pneumonia	24	1.2

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	168	8.4