A study using artificial intelligence reveals that official COVID-19 death counts in the USA were underreported by approximately 16 percent in 2020 and 2021.Researchers estimate that 155,000 additional deaths occurred outside hospitals and were never correctly identified on death certificates.These undocumented fatalities disproportionately affected Hispanic communities and other people of color throughout Southern and Southwestern states.Factors such as limited testing access and political influence on coroner practices contributed to the systematic misclassification of causes of death.