Show-Me State Times

There were 39 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending May 15, 2021, a 11.4% 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. 22.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.8% were from cancer and 7.3% 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	272	271
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	265	239
Cerebrovascular diseases	65	49
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	50	58
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	50	43
Alzheimer's disease	43	31
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	39	35
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	29	24
Diabetes mellitus	26	30
Influenza and pneumonia	21	14

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	94	88