Peach Tree Times

There were 18 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia during the week ending April 23, 2022, a 25% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending April 23, 2022, there were 920 deaths in the state. 24.9% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.9% were from cancer and 3.2% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.7% 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 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Heart disease	229	256
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	174	240
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	58	72
Cerebrovascular diseases	56	73
Alzheimer's disease	43	56
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	27	22
Diabetes mellitus	23	24
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	18	24
Influenza and pneumonia	12	15
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	11	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending April 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending April 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	89	117