Hoosier State Today

There were 66 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana in the week ending August 7, making up 5.1 percent of total deaths by all causes in Indiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 7, there were 1,306 deaths in the state. 21.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.1 percent were from cancer and 10.9 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
Heart disease	278	21.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	249	19.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	78	6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	76	5.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	66	5.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	53	4.1
Alzheimer's disease	43	3.3
Diabetes mellitus	42	3.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	2.1
Influenza and pneumonia	14	1.1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	110	8.4