Garden State Times

There were 20 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in New Jersey during the week ending April 23, 2022, a 42.9% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 23, 2022, there were 1,036 deaths in the state. 23.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.8% were from cancer and 4.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.4% 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 April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Heart disease	245	263
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	226	230
Cerebrovascular diseases	63	52
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	33	34
Alzheimer's disease	30	41
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	17
Diabetes mellitus	28	25
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	27	21
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	20	14
Influenza and pneumonia	16	17

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	97	95