Peach Tree Times

There were 32 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia in the week ending July 9, making up 3.9% of total deaths by all causes in Georgia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 9, there were 831 deaths in the state. 21.7% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.6% were from cancer and 6.6% 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)	188	22.6
Heart disease	180	21.7
Alzheimer's disease	48	5.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	41	4.9
Cerebrovascular diseases	38	4.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	32	3.9
Diabetes mellitus	23	2.8
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	23	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	21	2.5
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 1.2