Peach Tree Times

There were 24 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia in the week ending Oct. 29, making up 2.8% of total deaths by all causes in Georgia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 29, there were 869 deaths in the state. 21.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.4% 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
Heart disease	188	21.6
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	169	19.4
Alzheimer's disease	59	6.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	58	6.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	50	5.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	3.8
Diabetes mellitus	30	3.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	24	2.8
Influenza and pneumonia	14	1.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	1.3