Peach Tree Times

There were 14 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending April 9, 2022, a 58.8% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 9, 2022, there were 982 deaths in the state. 23.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.1% were from cancer and 4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.6% 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 April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Heart disease	231	247
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	207	221
Cerebrovascular diseases	65	59
Alzheimer's disease	52	46
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	47	78
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	28	22
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	25	44
Diabetes mellitus	22	34
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	14	34
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	19

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 9, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 2, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	94	114