Garden State Times

There were 12 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in New Jersey in the week ending Sept. 17, making up 1.1% of total deaths by all causes in New Jersey, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 17, there were 1,121 deaths in the state. 22.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 24.6% were from cancer and 6% 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)	276	24.6
Heart disease	254	22.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	43	3.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	3.6
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	3.5
Alzheimer's disease	34	3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	27	2.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	26	2.3
Diabetes mellitus	19	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	12	1.1