BOSTON (AP) — The oldest Americans — people who are 100 or older —  are among the most vulnerable in the coronavirus pandemic.

Reliable estimates of the numbers of centenarians who have died are elusive. That’s mainly because most state and government health agencies that track deaths lump them into an 85-and-older demographic.

But newspaper death notices and other anecdotal evidence suggest the outbreak is exacting a grim toll among centenarians. In tiny Rhode Island alone, eight have lost their lives to COVID-19.

Those who study elders who have achieved extreme longevity say society as a whole is diminished by their deaths.