Peach Tree Times

There were 19 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia in the week ending July 15, making up 1.2% of total deaths by all causes in Georgia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 15, there were 1,542 deaths in the state. 23.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.9% were from cancer and 2.1% 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	360	23.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	338	21.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	66	4.3
Alzheimer's disease	65	4.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	64	4.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	36	2.3
Diabetes mellitus	35	2.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	19	1.2
Influenza and pneumonia	14	0.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	0.9

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	142	9.2