Peach Tree Times

There were 18 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia in the week ending July 22, 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 22, there were 1,510 deaths in the state. 22% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 23.3% were from cancer and 1.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	352	23.3
Heart disease	332	22
Alzheimer's disease	81	5.4
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	69	4.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	67	4.4
Diabetes mellitus	35	2.3
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	34	2.3
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	1.2
Influenza and pneumonia	13	0.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	10	0.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	160	10.6