Garden State Times

There were 81 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in New Jersey in the week ending Dec. 17, making up 5.1% of total deaths by all causes in New Jersey, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Dec. 17, there were 1,590 deaths in the state. 23.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.7% were from cancer and 8.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	373	23.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	313	19.7
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	81	5.1
Cerebrovascular diseases	77	4.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	64	4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	56	3.5
Alzheimer's disease	45	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	36	2.3
Diabetes mellitus	33	2.1
Influenza and pneumonia	32	2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	163	10.3