Peach Tree Times

There were 78 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending July 23, 2022, a 34.5% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 23, 2022, there were 1,612 deaths in the state. 21.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.4% were from cancer and 11.5% 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 July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Heart disease	343	369
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	312	328
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	108	75
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	81	78
Cerebrovascular diseases	79	85
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	78	58
Alzheimer's disease	77	77
Diabetes mellitus	36	37
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	33	30
Influenza and pneumonia	18	18

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 23, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending July 16, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	155	154