Show-Me State Times

There were 11 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Missouri during the week ending May 21, 2022, a 26.7% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 21, 2022, there were 701 deaths in the state. 22.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.3% were from cancer and 3.1% 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)	170	212
Heart disease	157	242
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	56	69
Cerebrovascular diseases	40	52
Alzheimer's disease	32	33
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	19
Diabetes mellitus	17	29
Influenza and pneumonia	15	14
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	11
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	15