Hoosier State Today

There were 98 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana in the week ending Jan. 29, making up 19 percent of total deaths by all causes in Indiana, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 29, there were 516 deaths in the state. 19.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.7 percent were from cancer and 40.1 percent were from COVID-19.

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)	109	21.1
Heart disease	99	19.2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	98	19
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	76	14.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	31	6
Alzheimer's disease	27	5.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	24	4.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	14	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	12	2.3
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.9