Minnesota State Wire

There were 55 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota in the week ending May 8, 2021, making up 6.2% of total deaths by all causes in Minnesota, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, 2021, there were 882 deaths in the state. 16.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21% were from cancer and 13.3% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	185	21
Heart disease	147	16.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	62	7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	55	6.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	54	6.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	41	4.6
Alzheimer's disease	36	4.1
Diabetes mellitus	25	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	1.2
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.1

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	75	8.5