Peach Tree Times

There were 76 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia during the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, a 10.6% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, there were 1,569 deaths in the state. 22.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 19.9% were from cancer and 8% 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 Sept. 10, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022
Heart disease	355	356
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	313	317
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	104	86
Cerebrovascular diseases	94	78
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	76	85
Alzheimer's disease	74	83
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	50	60
Diabetes mellitus	34	38
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	32	40
Influenza and pneumonia	17	20

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 10, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	151	173