Empire State Today

There were 47 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in New York state in the week ending January 1, making up 2.4 percent of total deaths by all causes in New York state, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending January 1, there were 1,980 deaths in the state. 21.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 14.9 percent were from cancer and 34.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1 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	425	21.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	348	17.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	330	16.7
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	296	14.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	82	4.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	70	3.5
Influenza and pneumonia	47	2.4
Alzheimer's disease	46	2.3
Diabetes mellitus	43	2.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	39	2

Cause of Death	Cause of Death	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	180	9.1