During the pandemic 83 people have died at West Berkshire care homes after testing positive for Covid-19 THE government has been blamed for the “appalling” Covid-19 care home death toll in West Berkshire. The latest figures show there have been 83 Covid-related care home deaths in the district during the pandemic and this has caused demand for council-funded care to drop significantly. More than three quarters (64) of those deaths occurred between March and August in 2020. Cllr Alan Macro (Liberal Democrat) said: “This is an appalling situation that has been made far, far worse by this Conservative government’s actions and inactions. “Things like discharging patients into hospitals with no tests, a lack of PPE in hospitals and care homes. The list goes on and on.