Peach Tree Times

There were 43 deaths with COVID-19 listed as a contributing cause reported in Georgia during the week ending Nov. 5, 2022, a 4.4% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Nov. 5, 2022, there were 1,764 deaths in the state. 21.4% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.8% were from cancer and 4.1% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.7% 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 Nov. 5, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022
Heart disease	378	388
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	332	318
Cerebrovascular diseases	100	106
Alzheimer's disease	83	94
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	80	93
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	44	49
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	43	45
Diabetes mellitus	41	60
Influenza and pneumonia	30	24
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	30	24

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Nov. 5, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Oct. 29, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	189	185