Empire State Today

There were 68 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in New York state in the week ending June 19, 2021, making up 3.7% of total deaths by all causes in New York state, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 19, 2021, there were 1,821 deaths in the state. 23.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.5% were from cancer and 3.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.2% 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	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Heart disease	424	23.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	391	21.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	68	3.7
Cerebrovascular diseases	68	3.7
Alzheimer's disease	43	2.4
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	41	2.3
Diabetes mellitus	39	2.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	30	1.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	30	1.6
Influenza and pneumonia	22	1.2

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	167	9.2