Experts fear the US coronavirus death toll could be DOUBLE the official figures at up to 160,000 due to inconsistencies in reporting and ongoing testing shortages as Trump champions reopenings

Experts have warned that the true US coronavirus death toll could be double the official figures due to delays and inconsistencies in reporting, testing shortages and the likelihood that thousands of people have avoided seeking treatment for life-threatening conditions.

The latest death count stands at 80,308 as of Sunday morning, with more than 1,356,650 infections confirmed across the country. 

But many leading epidemiologists, regional officials and other experts have said that the current counts do not reflect the full devastation of the virus, in part because there is no national standard for investigating deaths.   

Fears about an under-reported death toll come as many states expand efforts to ease lockdown restrictions that have crippled the US economy and left millions of Americans out of work. 

President Donald Trump has championed the reopenings while many experts caution that they could be premature as the numbers of infections and deaths continue to rise in the majority of states.  

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Experts have warned that the true US coronavirus death toll could be double the official figures due to dire delays and inconsistencies in reporting, ongoing testing shortages and the likelihood that thousands of people have avoided seeking treatment for life-threatening conditions for fear of coming in contact with the contagion

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The latest death count stands at 80,308 as of Sunday morning, with more than 1,356,650 infections confirmed across the US

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Medical workers are seen wheeling COVID-19 victims out of the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn

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President Donald Trump (pictured on Friday) has insisted that it's safe to reopen America while many experts caution that it could be too early to lift lockdowns as the numbers of infections and deaths continue to rise in the majority of states

Mark Hayward, a sociology professor at the University of Texas at Austin who advises the CDC on its mortality statistics, on Friday warned that it is very difficult to assess the 'full mortality burden' of COVID-19.  

He cited the time lag in cases being reported and emerging evidence which suggests that thousands of seriously ill people have failed to seek medical attention for life-threatening conditions such as heart failure, strokes or cancer because they feared coming in contact with COVID-19. 

'I think the undercount is enormous,' Hayward told The Independent. 'The overall burden of mortality from Covid, which covers all the causes that you talked about, could be enormously higher.' 

He said the true number of deaths is likely double the current count - around 160,000.   

Trump has yet to comment directly on deaths of people who avoided seeking treatment due to virus concerns, but White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany alluded to the issue at a briefing last week as she urged people who are ill to visit the doctor.  

'I've been disturbed to read many quotes from doctors, [and] stories of people who are staying home with chest pain and don't go to the hospital when they could be on the verge of having a heart attack; who are missing on important appointments like mammograms, screenings like colonoscopies,' McEnany said. 

Meanwhile, leading task force member Dr Deborah Birx has boasted that the US has one of the most comprehensive reporting processes for COVID-19 deaths because officials include anyone who died after testing positive for the virus, even if it wasn't the main cause.  

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Fears about an under-reported death toll come as many states expand efforts to ease lockdown restrictions that have crippled the US economy and left millions of Americans out of work

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A masked bartender pours drinks at Hussong Cantina in Las Vegas on Saturday after Nevada Gov Steve Sisolak allowed many nonessential businesses to resume operations

The Trump administration has faced fierce criticism over its handling of the pandemic as detractors charge that it ignored the threat of COVID-19 in its early stages, leading to severe delays in its response.   

Federal officials are still scrambling to meet nationwide testing needs while the White House amps up it's message that it's time to reopen the economy - despite still-climbing case and death counts. 

Aides and outside officials who spoke to The Washington Post said that Trump and some of his advisers are prioritizing the psychology of the pandemic over actual planning as they strive to instill confidence that it's safe for people to return to daily life. 

Trump has repeatedly suggested that the virus will eventually disappear - while also acknowledging that a resurgence is likely in the fall. 

On Friday the president urged Americans to think of this period as a 'transition to greatness' as he predicted big economic gains in the coming months.  

Earlier last week, Trump revealed that he intends to disband the White House coronavirus task force, arguing that 'we can't keep our country closed for the next five years'.  

'We can't keep our country closed for the next five years. You could say there might be a recurrence and there might be,' the president said Tuesday when pressed about his decision to decommission the task force within weeks. 

He also is not ruling out a second wave of the pandemic, as medical experts are warning could happen. 

'It'll be a flame and we're going to put the flame out,' Trump said. 

Trump said he would continue to get 'advice' from medical experts, including two prominent members of the task force: Dr Birx and Dr Anthony Fauci. 

'They will be and so will other doctors and so will other experts in the field,' he said. But he struggled to articulate why the task force had to go in order for the country to reopen. 

'I'm viewing our great citizens of this country to a certain extent and to a large extent as warriors. They're warriors. We have to open our country closed,' Trump said. 'We have to open our country.' 

'We have a great country. We can't keep it closed,' he continued. 

Trump is reportedly hopeful that he can get back on the campaign trail by June as he prepares to take on presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the November election. 

Insiders say the president is worried about how the pandemic has affected his re-election prospects and fears what further damage could come if the virus strikes again in the fall. 

On Saturday Trump congratulated the UFC for conducting the first major sports event since the coronavirus pandemic upended American life two months ago. 

UFC 249 was held in an empty stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday night, and was aired on ESPN.  

President Trump appeared partway through the broadcast in a taped message to tell the audience it was time to resume professional sports. 

'I want to congratulate [president] Dana White and the UFC. They're going to have a big match!' the Commander-in-chief excitedly stated.

'We love it. We think it's important – get the sports leagues back. Let's play. We do the social distancing and whatever else you have to do, but we need sports. We want our sports back, and congratulations to Dana White and the UFC.'