Bay State News

There were 15 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Massachusetts during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 7.1% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 840 deaths in the state. 17.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8% were from cancer and 4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.9% 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 April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	158	195
Heart disease	144	182
Cerebrovascular diseases	30	34
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	29	34
Alzheimer's disease	26	29
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	26
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	18	18
Diabetes mellitus	16	18
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	15	14
Influenza and pneumonia	14	16

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	108	134