Kentucky Club owner dies of virus as Juarez death toll hits 634; Mexico’s president seeks better health care

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico -- The death toll from the coronavirus in Juárez reached 634 on Friday, with a prominent bar owner among the latest casualties.

Mexican media outlets first reported the death of Sergio Peña Acosta, owner of the internationally-known Kentucky Club, at age 71 from Covid-19.

His son, Sergio Peña Acosta Jr., later confirmed his passing to ABC-7.

A famed border spot, the Kentucky Club is credited by many as the birthplace of the Margarita.

Over the decades it's been in existence, the bar also has attracted legendary celebrities such as Ernest Hemingway, Frank Sinatra and Marylin Monroe.

Peña Acosta died on Thursday while hospitalized in El Paso for treatment.

His death comes as Mexico's president has pledged better health care in his country in the wake of the pandemic.

The Associated Press quotes President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as saying the government plans to provide scholarships to train 30,000 more specialized doctors.

López Obrador, in a message this week to the families of coronavirus victims, said that he would fight chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension that make people more likely to suffer severe cases of Covid-19.