Peach Tree Times

There were 23 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending Jan. 15, a 17.9 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Jan. 15, there were 1,483 deaths in the state. 18.5 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 15.9 percent were from cancer and 43.6 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8 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 2022-01-15	Number of Deaths 2022-01-08
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	340	243
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	306	223
Heart disease	275	367
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	236	255
Alzheimer's disease	87	72
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	84	91
Cerebrovascular diseases	66	78
Diabetes mellitus	36	43
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	30	35
Influenza and pneumonia	23	28

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2022-01-15	Number of Deaths 2022-01-08
Alzheimer disease and dementia	146	151