Peach Tree Times

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending May 21, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending May 21, 2022, there were 606 deaths in the state. 24.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.9% were from cancer and 1.8% were from COVID-19.

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 21, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending May 14, 2022
Heart disease	149	214
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	133	198
Cerebrovascular diseases	33	48
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	32	69
Alzheimer's disease	21	50
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	15	15
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	11	15
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	14
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	16
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	10