Hoosier State Today

There were 66 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Indiana during the week ending May 15, 2021, a 10% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 15, 2021, there were 1,218 deaths in the state. 22.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.9% were from cancer and 12% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.7% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Heart disease	271	257
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	255	268
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	80	79
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	66	60
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	64	79
Cerebrovascular diseases	60	66
Diabetes mellitus	49	35
Alzheimer's disease	28	37
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	24	31
Influenza and pneumonia	16	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	94	98