Garden State Times

There were 11 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in New Jersey during the week ending April 30, 2022, a 42.1% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 30, 2022, there were 1,029 deaths in the state. 25.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.2% were from cancer and 5.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.4% 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 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022
Heart disease	265	275
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	218	262
Cerebrovascular diseases	46	71
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	45	40
Diabetes mellitus	32	35
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	29	39
Alzheimer's disease	27	32
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	23	28
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	20	31
Influenza and pneumonia	11	19

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	86	108