Prairie State Wire

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Illinois in the week ending June 17, making up less than 0.5% of total deaths by all causes in Illinois, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 17, there were 2,012 deaths in the state. 23.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23% were from cancer and less than 0.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.3% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	464	23.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	463	23
Cerebrovascular diseases	108	5.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	87	4.3
Alzheimer's disease	68	3.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	47	2.3
Diabetes mellitus	39	1.9
Influenza and pneumonia	24	1.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 0.5

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	187	9.3