Minnesota State Wire

There were 19 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Minnesota during the week ending May 21, 2022, a 29.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 21, 2022, there were 469 deaths in the state. 16.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 26.2% were from cancer and 6.6% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 21, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 14, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	123	147
Heart disease	79	108
Alzheimer's disease	35	37
Cerebrovascular diseases	26	26
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	19	27
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	27
Diabetes mellitus	12	17
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	17
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10