Peach Tree Times

There were 22 deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported in Georgia in the week ending Aug. 5, making up 1.6% of total deaths by all causes in Georgia, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 5, there were 1,406 deaths in the state. 23% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 22.4% were from cancer and 0.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.8% 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	323	23
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	315	22.4
Cerebrovascular diseases	87	6.2
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	79	5.6
Alzheimer's disease	58	4.1
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	2.3
Diabetes mellitus	26	1.8
Influenza and pneumonia	22	1.6
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	12	0.9
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	< 0.7

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths	% of Total Deaths
Alzheimer disease and dementia	138	9.8