Keystone Today

There were 195 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Pennsylvania during the week ending May 22, 2021, a 5.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, 2021, there were 2,658 deaths in the state. 21.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.1% were from cancer and 13.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.3% 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 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Heart disease	563	567
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	509	531
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	195	206
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	163	181
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	105	97
Cerebrovascular diseases	100	125
Alzheimer's disease	77	68
Diabetes mellitus	73	73
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	47	48
Influenza and pneumonia	30	23

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	221	227