Prairie State Wire

There were 189 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Illinois in the week ending August 21, making up 8.4 percent of total deaths by all causes in Illinois, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 21, there were 2,257 deaths in the state. 19.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19 percent were from cancer and 17.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.8 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
Heart disease	441	19.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	429	19
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	199	8.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	189	8.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	108	4.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	91	4
Diabetes mellitus	63	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	53	2.3
Alzheimer's disease	52	2.3
Influenza and pneumonia	30	1.3

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	176	7.8