CDC: 6% of coronavirus deaths were solely from COVID-19

Why wasn't this widely known before now? 

 PAUL SACCA

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a report stating that just 6% of COVID-19 deaths listed the only cause of death as coronavirus and no other comorbidities. 

For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death," the CDC website reads.

Phil Kerpen, president of American Commitment, noticed the important information on the CDC's website on Aug. 6. 

Based on the CDC's data, 94% of people have died with coronavirus, along with one or more other underlying health issues. The CDC's Aug. 28 update stated that there were 167,558 COVID-19 total deaths, which means 10,053 died solely of coronavirus alone with no other health conditions. 

The CDC's figures are derived from provisional death counts, which are based on death certificate data received and coded by the National Center for Health Statistics.

"Provisional death counts deliver the most complete and accurate picture of lives lost to COVID-19," the CDC states. "They are based on death certificates, which are the most reliable source of data and contain information not available anywhere else, including comorbid conditions, race and ethnicity, and place of death."

The CDC listed the following as the top underlying medical conditions linked to coronavirus deaths:

• Influenza and pneumonia
• Respiratory failure
• Hypertensive disease
• Diabetes
• Vascular and unspecified dementia
• Cardiac Arrest
• Heart failure
• Renal failure
• Intentional and unintentional injury, poisoning and other adverse events
• Other medical conditions

Dr. David B Samadi MD, urologic oncology expert and robotic surgeon, commented on the CDC news.

"As a men's health expert, many men have been affected by COVID-19," he wrote on Twitter. "The CDC today revealed that only 6% of COVID deaths were in patients without existing comorbidities. 94% of the deaths were in cases with pre-existing conditions. This affects the entire public."

Former New York Times investigative reporter Alex Berenson wrote on Twitter: 

A lot of people are jumping on the @cdcgov statement just 6% of US #Covid deaths list #Covid alone as the cause. But to use that figure to claim 'COVID ONLY KILLED 9,000 AMERICANS' is wrong. Other causes include conditions like pneumonia, which can clearly be Covid-related. A better way to use the data may be to TAKE OUT causes clearly unrelated to #sarscov2. I'd include Alzheimer's, sepsis, dementia, cancer, and unintentional injury (Let's be conservative and leave off kidney failure, diabetes, obesity, and strokes). The other advantage of leaving off those conditions is that there is significant overlap in, say, diabetes and obesity (and the CDC reports the average COVID death certificate included 2.6 other conditions). That's less likely for the conditions I included. So, okay, the five conditions on my list were on about 50,000 certificates (assuming no double counting). The accidental deaths and poisonings alone were 5,000. Those deaths - at a minimum - are much more likely to fall in the WITH rather than FROM #Covid category. It would also be nice if @cdcgov offered more specific information about the 77,000 deaths that had other 'unspecified' conditions listed. But this is a start, at least - and it's in keeping with the other steps the CDC has taken recently.