Garden State Times

There were 54 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in New Jersey during the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, a 10% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, there were 1,342 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.2% were from cancer and 6.9% 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 Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Heart disease	287	325
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	285	279
Cerebrovascular diseases	70	50
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	54	60
Alzheimer's disease	39	30
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	38	37
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	37	42
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	39
Diabetes mellitus	25	26
Influenza and pneumonia	14	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	126	112