Garden State Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in New Jersey in the week ending July 8, making up less than 0.8% of total deaths by all causes in New Jersey, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 8, there were 1,282 deaths in the state. 22.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.6% were from cancer and 0.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.5% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	290	22.6
Heart disease	287	22.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	56	4.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	3.5
Alzheimer's disease	32	2.5
Diabetes mellitus	30	2.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	26	2
Influenza and pneumonia	15	1.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	10	0.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	109	8.5