Maryland State Wire

There were 21 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Maryland in the week ending May 14, making up 3.3% of total deaths by all causes in Maryland, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 14, there were 631 deaths in the state. 21.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.6% were from cancer and 5.1% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	136	21.6
Heart disease	136	21.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	35	5.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	25	4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	21	3.3
Diabetes mellitus	17	2.7
Alzheimer's disease	17	2.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 1.6