Show-Me State Times

There were 12 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri in the week ending June 18, making up 1.5% of total deaths by all causes in Missouri, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 18, there were 792 deaths in the state. 24.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 3.4% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	195	24.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	157	19.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	57	7.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	41	5.2
Alzheimer's disease	34	4.3
Influenza and pneumonia	21	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	21	2.7
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	20	2.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	1.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	1.5