Garden State Times

There were 40 deaths with chronic lower respiratory disease listed as the underlying cause reported in New Jersey during the week ending May 7, 2022, a 27.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 7, 2022, there were 1,085 deaths in the state. 25.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.8% were from cancer and 6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.8% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Heart disease	279	297
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	226	254
Cerebrovascular diseases	44	54
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	40	55
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	40	34
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	31	21
Alzheimer's disease	30	32
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	25	27
Diabetes mellitus	24	41
Influenza and pneumonia	14	16

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 7, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 30, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	85	97