ATLANTA, Ga. -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report last week, saying the vast majority of patients who die from COVID-19 also had other health issues.
The report says that 94 percent of patients who died of COVID-19 had another health condition. The conditions range from respiratory illness and heart disease to obesity and diabetes.
"For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned," the report said. "For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death."
It was widely understood that certain populations, especially those with respiratory issues, may fair more poorly when infected with COVID-19.
For this report, the CDC focused on provisional data, which the agency says is the most accurate. Provisional data looks at death certificate information rather than hospital or nursing home info.
"Provisional death counts deliver the most complete and accurate picture of lives lost to COVID-19," the CDC said. "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."
