Peach Tree Times

There were 72 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia during the week ending July 16, 2022, a 26.3% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 16, 2022, there were 1,519 deaths in the state. 23% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 20.4% were from cancer and 8.4% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.9% 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 July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Heart disease	349	348
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	310	345
Cerebrovascular diseases	81	70
Alzheimer's disease	75	79
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	73	82
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	72	57
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	55	41
Diabetes mellitus	37	49
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	30	35
Influenza and pneumonia	17	13

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 9, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	151	184