Peach Tree Times

There were 24 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending Oct. 29, 2022, a 11.1% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Oct. 29, 2022, there were 1,793 deaths in the state. 21.6% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 17.7% were from cancer and 3.8% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.3% 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 Oct. 29, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022
Heart disease	388	412
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	318	360
Cerebrovascular diseases	106	88
Alzheimer's disease	94	83
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	93	89
Diabetes mellitus	60	42
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	49	51
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	45	51
Influenza and pneumonia	24	30
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	24	27

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 22, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	185	185