Peach Tree Times

There were 61 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending May 15, 2021, a 29.9% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 15, 2021, there were 1,635 deaths in the state. 20.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.7% were from cancer and 7.9% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.6% 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	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Heart disease	335	347
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	289	334
Cerebrovascular diseases	110	92
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	90	73
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	68	104
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	61	87
Alzheimer's disease	59	69
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	52	39
Diabetes mellitus	48	40
Influenza and pneumonia	15	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 8, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	140	151