Garden State Times

There were 226 deaths from cancer reported in New Jersey in the week ending Jan. 8, making up 13.5 percent of total deaths by all causes in New Jersey, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 8, there were 1,678 deaths in the state. 21 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 13.5 percent were from cancer and 49.8 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	444	26.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	392	23.4
Heart disease	353	21
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	226	13.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	61	3.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	50	3
Alzheimer's disease	46	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	33	2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	30	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	24	1.4