23,136 more people have died in care homes so far this year than by the same point in 2019 - according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics.
The numbers for England and Wales include all deaths in care homes between December 26, 2019 and May 1 this year.
More than 40% of people who died after contracting the virus had dementia or Alzheimer's disease, the research shows.
Between March 2 and May 1 there were 45,899 deaths of care home residents, of which 12,526 involved Covid-19 - 27.3% of all care home deaths, reports The Mirror.
More than 70% of these deaths occurred in the homes, with the rest in hospitals.
The ONS also found that Covid-19 was the leading cause of death for male care home residents in England and Wales during the period March 2 to May 1, accounting for 30.3% of deaths.
It was the second leading cause of death in female care home residents, after dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, accounting for 23.5% of deaths.
Of all hospital deaths involving Covid-19 during this period, 14.6% were accounted for by care home residents.
New data shows the number of deaths in care homes is 23,000 higher than it was a year ago (Image: ONS)
The highest number of care home deaths were recorded in the South East, followed by the North West.
An ONS report said: "When looking at the regions of England, the highest number of deaths involving the coronavirus in care home residents was in the South East with 2,109 deaths.
"However, London had the highest proportion of deaths involving Covid-19 accounting for 25.7% of deaths in care home residents.
"The South West had the lowest proportion of deaths involving COVID-19 accounting for 12.9% of deaths in care home residents."
Today's figures show 4,000 more care homes than the number reported just four days ago.
Figures released earlier this week revealed the coronavirus death toll in English and Welsh care homes had passed 8,300 - with nearly 40% of fatalities in a week linked to the killer virus.
Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed there were more than 1,500 care home deaths in the final week of April.
It meant the number of confirmed coronavirus deaths in care homes stood at 8,312 on May 1 as the government comes under fire for not ensuring the safety of vulnerable residents.
