Garden State Times

There were 68 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in New Jersey in the week ending August 14, making up 4.8 percent of total deaths by all causes in New Jersey, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 14, there were 1,420 deaths in the state. 20.8 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.9 percent were from cancer and 10 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.9 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	295	20.8
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	283	19.9
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	74	5.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	70	4.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	68	4.8
Alzheimer's disease	48	3.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	48	3.4
Diabetes mellitus	40	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	32	2.3
Influenza and pneumonia	16	1.1

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	112	7.9