Peach Tree Times

There were less than 10 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Georgia in the week ending June 18, making up less than 1.2% of total deaths by all causes in Georgia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending June 18, there were 840 deaths in the state. 23.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.9% were from cancer and 4% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	201	23.9
Heart disease	200	23.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	55	6.5
Cerebrovascular diseases	46	5.5
Alzheimer's disease	41	4.9
Diabetes mellitus	27	3.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	22	2.6
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	17	2
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	12	1.4
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.2