Show-Me State Times

There were 16 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Missouri during the week ending June 18, 2022, a 5.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 18, 2022, there were 1,015 deaths in the state. 26.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.4% were from cancer and 3.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.2% 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 June 18, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022
Heart disease	269	255
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	187	227
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	69	72
Cerebrovascular diseases	51	55
Alzheimer's disease	47	37
Diabetes mellitus	28	25
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	27	32
Influenza and pneumonia	23	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	20	22
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	16	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending June 18, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 11, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	124	84