Peach Tree Times

There were 16 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia in the week ending Oct. 22, 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 Oct. 22, there were 897 deaths in the state. 23.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.4% were from cancer and 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	210	23.4
Heart disease	209	23.3
Cerebrovascular diseases	56	6.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	43	4.8
Alzheimer's disease	41	4.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	29	3.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	18	2
Diabetes mellitus	17	1.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	16	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	12	1.3