Peach Tree Times

There were 12 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia in the week ending April 30, making up 1.8% of total deaths by all causes in Georgia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 30, there were 677 deaths in the state. 23.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.6% were from cancer and 1.8% were from COVID-19.

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	158	23.3
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	146	21.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	41	6.1
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	40	5.9
Alzheimer's disease	35	5.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	23	3.4
Diabetes mellitus	18	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	12	1.8
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	1.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.5