Show-Me State Times

There were 18 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Missouri during the week ending May 7, 2022, a 38.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 7, 2022, there were 887 deaths in the state. 23.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.9% were from cancer and 3.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Heart disease	212	219
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	203	202
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	65	66
Alzheimer's disease	39	41
Cerebrovascular diseases	38	43
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	22	32
Diabetes mellitus	22	29
Influenza and pneumonia	18	18
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	13
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	87	87