Garden State Times

There were 25 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in New Jersey during the week ending May 1, 2021, a 31.6% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, 2021, there were 1,629 deaths in the state. 21.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.1% were from cancer and 22.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.9% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Heart disease	344	301
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	295	310
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	194	226
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	179	201
Cerebrovascular diseases	76	68
Alzheimer's disease	49	53
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	35	47
Diabetes mellitus	34	45
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	31
Influenza and pneumonia	25	19

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 1, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending April 24, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	129	126