Maryland State Wire

There were 18 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Maryland during the week ending May 7, 2022, a 28.6% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 7, 2022, there were 689 deaths in the state. 23.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.2% were from cancer and 6.1% 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 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Heart disease	159	163
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	139	189
Cerebrovascular diseases	37	48
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	30	30
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	24	23
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	18	14
Diabetes mellitus	16	25
Alzheimer's disease	14	10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	11
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	12

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	57	61