Garden State Times

There were 39 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in New Jersey in the week ending May 8, 2021, making up 2.7% of total deaths by all causes in New Jersey, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 8, 2021, there were 1,464 deaths in the state. 22.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.6% were from cancer and 21.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.8% 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	333	22.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	272	18.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	165	11.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	145	9.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	77	5.3
Alzheimer's disease	42	2.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	39	2.7
Diabetes mellitus	38	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	24	1.6
Influenza and pneumonia	23	1.6

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	100	6.8