Minnesota State Wire

There were 55 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending May 8, 2021, a 15.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, 2021, there were 859 deaths in the state. 16.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.4% were from cancer and 13.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.7% 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 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	184	194
Heart disease	145	158
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	62	78
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	55	65
Cerebrovascular diseases	54	36
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	41	45
Alzheimer's disease	36	47
Diabetes mellitus	25	36
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	75	109