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COVID-19 Death Toll Now Tops 600 On Central, South Coasts; Total Number Of Cases Hits 80,000

The death toll from the pandemic has pushed past the 600 mark on the Central and South Coasts. There were 27 deaths reported Friday, with 21 in Ventura County and six in San Luis Obispo County.

The region’s total now stands at 620, but it could actually be higher because due to technical issues Santa Barbara County didn’t have its latest statistics available.

The Tri-Counties also hit another tough milestone, passing the 80,000 mark in total positive COVID-19 cases.  Ventura County reported 1373, and San Luis Obispo County 294 Friday.  Ventura County has now had 48,317 cases, San Luis Obsispo County 12,891, and as of Thursday Santa Barbara County was at 19,953.

Again, Santa Barbara County didn’t have its case numbers to report.  But, County Health officials issued a warning, saying that its number of cases has increased ten times from Thanksgiving through the end of the year.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.