Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Mar 19, 2026 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
Medical News: A startling new study suggests that the true death toll from COVID-19 in the United States during the early phase of the pandemic was far higher than official records indicated. Researchers now estimate that more than 150,000 additional deaths may have gone uncounted between 2020 and 2021, raising serious concerns about how the crisis was measured and understood.
More than 150,000 COVID-19 deaths were missed early, exposing deep inequalities in health care and reporting systems
A Bigger Death Toll Than Reported
Official figures show that around 840,000 Americans died from COVID-19 during the first two years of the pandemic. However, this new research indicates the actual number could be closer to one million when previously unrecognized deaths are included. That means roughly 16 to 19 percent of COVID-related deaths may not have been properly recorded.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota, Boston University, and collaborating institutions across the United States. Their findings point to a major gap in how deaths were tracked, especially outside hospitals.
Why So Many Deaths Were Missed
One key reason for the undercount is that many people died at home or in community settings without ever being tested for COVID-19. In the early months of the pandemic, testing was limited and often unavailable, particularly outside major hospitals.
To uncover hidden deaths, the researchers used advanced machine learning techniques. They trained artificial intelligence models using confirmed COVID-19 hospital death records and then applied those patterns to analyze deaths that occurred outside hospitals. Many of these deaths had been officially attributed to conditions such as pneumonia or diabetes, but the patterns suggested COVID-19 was likely involved.
This
Medical News report highlights that early testing gaps and inconsistent death investigations played a major role in masking the true impact of the virus.
Inequality at the Heart of the Undercount
Perhaps most concerning is that the missing deaths were not evenly distributed. The study found that undercounted deaths were significantly more common among vulnerable populations, including Hispanic, Black, Asian, American Indian, and Alaska Native communities.
People with lower levels of education and those living in poorer counties were also more likely to have their deaths misclassified. Geographic disparities were clear as well, with states in the South and Southwest, such as Alabama, Oklahoma, and South Carolina, showing higher levels of underreporting. These patterns suggest that social and economic inequalities, along with limited access to healthcare, played a major role in who was counted and who was not.
Flaws in the Death Reporting System
The study also points to structural weaknesses in the U.S. death investigation system. In many areas, especially rural regions, death investigations ar
e handled by elected coroners who may lack medical training. This can lead to inconsistent or inaccurate cause-of-death reporting.
Political attitudes and stigma around COVID-19 may have also influenced whether individuals sought testing or whether families agreed to list COVID-19 as a cause of death. In some cases, overwhelmed health systems and limited resources further complicated accurate reporting.
Why Accurate Data Matters
Accurate death counts are not just numbers. They guide public health decisions, funding, and emergency responses. When deaths are undercounted, communities most at risk may not receive the support they need. The study emphasizes that incomplete data may have weakened the overall pandemic response and hidden the true scale of health inequalities in the United States.
Conclusion
The findings reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic was even more devastating than previously believed, particularly for marginalized communities. The undercounting of deaths highlights serious gaps in healthcare access, testing availability, and death reporting systems. Addressing these weaknesses is critical, not only to ensure fairness and accuracy but also to better prepare for future public health emergencies and protect vulnerable populations more effectively.’
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Science Advances.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aef5697
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Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid
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