Empire State Today

There were 158 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in New York state in the week ending May 1, making up 7.8 percent of total deaths by all causes in New York state, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, there were 2,021 deaths in the state. 22.4 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.1 percent were from cancer and 14.8 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.8 percent 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	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	453	22.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	406	20.1
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	158	7.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	142	7
Cerebrovascular diseases	94	4.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	69	3.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	40	2
Diabetes mellitus	40	2
Influenza and pneumonia	39	1.9
Alzheimer's disease	32	1.6

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	137	6.8