Empire State Today

There were 27 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in New York state in the week ending July 24, making up 1.4 percent of total deaths by all causes in New York state, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 24, there were 1,946 deaths in the state. 23.2 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.2 percent were from cancer and 2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.9 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	451	23.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	374	19.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	85	4.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	83	4.3
Diabetes mellitus	68	3.5
Alzheimer's disease	42	2.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	34	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	27	1.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	26	1.3
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	0.7

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	173	8.9