Peach Tree Times

There were 43 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia in the week ending Nov. 5, making up 2.4% of total deaths by all causes in Georgia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 5, there were 1,764 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8% were from cancer and 4.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.7% of deaths were from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

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	378	21.4
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	332	18.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	100	5.7
Alzheimer's disease	83	4.7
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	80	4.5
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	44	2.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	43	2.4
Diabetes mellitus	41	2.3
Influenza and pneumonia	30	1.7
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	30	1.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	189	10.7