Peach Tree Times

There were 20 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Georgia in the week ending July 1, making up 1.2% of total deaths by all causes in Georgia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 1, there were 1,695 deaths in the state. 20.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.8% were from cancer and 0.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.8% 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	354	20.9
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	336	19.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	105	6.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	91	5.4
Alzheimer's disease	74	4.4
Diabetes mellitus	49	2.9
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	46	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	20	1.2
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	0.6
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.6

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	150	8.8