Peach Tree Times

There were 14 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia in the week ending July 8, making up 0.9% of total deaths by all causes in Georgia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 8, there were 1,614 deaths in the state. 22.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.8% were from cancer and 0.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.1% 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	356	22.1
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	335	20.8
Cerebrovascular diseases	88	5.5
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	82	5.1
Alzheimer's disease	80	5
Diabetes mellitus	52	3.2
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	44	2.7
Influenza and pneumonia	25	1.5
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	0.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.6

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	147	9.1