Tragic Covid-19 death toll across Merton care homes revealed The tragic coronavirus death toll across Merton care homes has been revealed by the nation’s care watchdog in newly published figures. The Care Quality Commission said it was publishing figures on death notifications it received from named homes for the first time in a bid to be transparent, following earlier requests to share the data. The organisation said releasing the information earlier in the pandemic could have had a “serious impact on continuity of care” but it is doing so now as risks have changed. More than 78,500 care home residents died in England between April 10 2020 and March 31 2021, with around 7,000 care homes registering at least one death related to coronavirus.