Garden State Times

There were 85 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in New Jersey during the week ending May 22, 2021, a 37% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, 2021, there were 1,454 deaths in the state. 22.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21% were from cancer and 10.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.6% 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 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Heart disease	327	325
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	305	302
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	85	135
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	69	124
Cerebrovascular diseases	64	65
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	44	47
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	43	23
Alzheimer's disease	37	39
Diabetes mellitus	26	35
Influenza and pneumonia	13	16

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	110	93