The US's top health agency has slammed rumours claiming the official US COVID-19 death toll has been greatly exaggerated.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dismissed claims that only 6 percent of people reported to have died from COVID-19 actually did die from the virus.
The rumours, widely shared by QAnon and right-wing supporters, went viral after being retweeted by Donald Trump. They claimed the COVID-19 death toll was being inflated by unrelated medical conditions.
Bob Anderson, chief of mortality statistics at the CDC, says people are misinterpreting standard death certificate language.
"In 94 percent of deaths with COVID-19, other conditions are listed in addition to COVID-19. These causes may include chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension," Anderson told CNN in a statement.
"In 6 percent of the death certificates that list COVID-19, only one cause or condition is listed."
While other medical conditions may be listed on death certificates, 92 percent of the total state COVID-19 as the main cause of death.
Certificates may include chronic conditions that impact the severity of COVID-19, or acute conditions caused by the virus, such as pneumonia or respiratory failure.
"The underlying cause of death is the condition that began the chain of events that ultimately led to the person's death," Anderson says.
On Friday, the CDC reported 185,092 total deaths and over 6 million cases in the US.
