Peach Tree Times

There were 75 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending May 22, 2021, a 21% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 22, 2021, there were 1,679 deaths in the state. 20.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.2% were from cancer and 9.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.2% 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 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Heart disease	349	339
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	339	294
Cerebrovascular diseases	101	112
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	82	69
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	75	62
Alzheimer's disease	74	60
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	71	90
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	42	52
Diabetes mellitus	33	50
Influenza and pneumonia	19	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending May 22, 2021	Deaths in Week Ending May 15, 2021
Alzheimer disease and dementia	154	141