Peach Tree Times

There were 118 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia during the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, a 19.2% increase over the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Aug. 20, 2022, there were 1,590 deaths in the state. 19.5% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.3% were from cancer and 13% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.6% 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 Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	338	349
Heart disease	310	335
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	118	99
Cerebrovascular diseases	101	89
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	88	75
Alzheimer's disease	79	69
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	65	80
Diabetes mellitus	43	46
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	37	43
Influenza and pneumonia	19	19

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 20, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 13, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	169	154