Peach Tree Times

There were 317 deaths with heart disease listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending October 9, a 11.7 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending October 9, there were 1,919 deaths in the state. 16.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.3 percent were from cancer and 46.2 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 7.6 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 2021-10-09	Number of Deaths 2021-10-02
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	455	572
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	431	545
Heart disease	317	359
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	312	329
Cerebrovascular diseases	89	76
Alzheimer's disease	75	93
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	68	72
Diabetes mellitus	41	50
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	30	45
Influenza and pneumonia	15	22

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-10-09	Number of Deaths 2021-10-02
Alzheimer disease and dementia	146	173