Peach Tree Times

There were 36 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia in the week ending Dec. 17, 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 Dec. 17, there were 1,302 deaths in the state. 23.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22% were from cancer and 6.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 12.1% 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	302	23.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	287	22
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	81	6.2
Cerebrovascular diseases	60	4.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	53	4.1
Alzheimer's disease	52	4
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	36	2.8
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	2.5
Diabetes mellitus	28	2.2
Influenza and pneumonia	22	1.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	158	12.1