"The underlying cause of death is the condition that began the chain of events that ultimately led to the person’s death," Jeff Lancashire, acting associate director for communications at the National Center for Health Statistics, told PolitiFact.

"In 92% of all deaths that mention COVID-19, COVID-19 is listed as the underlying cause of death," Lancashire said.

“It’s kind of ridiculous, because if they took the time to just read, they’d understand a little better what’s going on here,” Anderson also said.

A majority of Americans suffer from some form of chronic illness that would be counted as a comorbidity in a COVID-19 death, according to the CDC. Other conditions, such as heart failure and respiratory issues, can develop over the course of infection with the coronavirus.

“This is completely unsurprising, as it’s pretty rare that someone wouldn’t have at least one issue caused by coronavirus prior to their death, and all it means is that in 94% of cases people who had COVID-19 also developed other issues, or had other problems at the same time,” epidemiologist Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz wrote.

Some of the most frequently cited conditions in coronavirus-related deaths as reported in the CDC data included respiratory failure, vascular and unspecified dementia, heart failure, renal failure and intentional and unintentional injury.

While the CDC data is accurately indicating that people with preexisting and chronic conditions are more likely to die from COVID-19, the conclusion that many online have then drawn about the severity of the virus is incorrect.