Peach Tree Times

There were 70 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases reported in Georgia in the week ending May 1, 2021, making up 4.4% of total deaths by all causes in Georgia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 1, 2021, there were 1,600 deaths in the state. 21.2% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19% were from cancer and 11.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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	339	21.2
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	304	19
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	105	6.6
Cerebrovascular diseases	88	5.5
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	86	5.4
Alzheimer's disease	77	4.8
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	70	4.4
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	47	2.9
Diabetes mellitus	36	2.3
Influenza and pneumonia	12	0.8

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	158	9.9