Peach Tree Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia in the week ending May 14, making up less than 1.5% of total deaths by all causes in Georgia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 14, there were 650 deaths in the state. 23.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.9% were from cancer and less than 1.5% 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	153	23.5
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	123	18.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	58	8.9
Alzheimer's disease	36	5.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	34	5.2
Diabetes mellitus	14	2.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	11	1.7
Influenza and pneumonia	10	1.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 1.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	< 10	< 1.5