Peach Tree Times

There were 31 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending September 4, a 55 percent increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending September 4, there were 2,639 deaths in the state. 16.1 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 12.6 percent were from cancer and 68.7 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 6.1 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	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04	Number of Deaths 2021-08-28
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	933	832
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	881	782
Heart disease	425	430
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	333	354
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	102	99
Alzheimer's disease	85	99
Cerebrovascular diseases	83	92
Diabetes mellitus	59	62
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	40	46
Influenza and pneumonia	31	20

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-09-04	Number of Deaths 2021-08-28
Alzheimer disease and dementia	162	180