Prairie State Wire

There were 356 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Illinois in the week ending January 1, making up 18.6 percent of total deaths by all causes in Illinois, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending January 1, there were 1,910 deaths in the state. 17.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.1 percent were from cancer and 38.5 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.3 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
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	380	19.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	356	18.6
Heart disease	329	17.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	308	16.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	105	5.5
Alzheimer's disease	65	3.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	64	3.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	52	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	45	2.4
Influenza and pneumonia	31	1.6

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	159	8.3