Sturgis Biker Rally Linked To 260,000 COVID cases
South Dakota officials, who allowed the annual event to proceed, dispute the findings.
The Washington Post:
’Worst Case Scenarios’ At Sturgis Rally Could Link Event To 266,000 Coronavirus Cases, Study Says
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally led to significant spread of the novel coronavirus in the event’s home state of South Dakota and in other parts of the United States, a team of researchers said in a newly released study that is disputed by state officials. The report from San Diego State University’s Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies used anonymized cellphone location data and virus case counts to analyze the impact of the 460,000-person event that took place last month, believed to be one of the largest events held during the pandemic. (Shammas, 9/8)
USA Today:
Sturgis Rally: Study Ties 260,000 COVID-19 Cases To South Dakota Event
A study by a California research group estimates that the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota led to more than 260,000 coronavirus cases in the month following the event. Researchers from the Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies at San Diego State University published their findings Saturday in a 63-page report.The estimate is dramatically more than the number of cases tied to the rally reported by both the South Dakota health department and the Associated Press. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Tuesday said the study was "fiction," and she criticized journalists who reported on it. (Raposa, 9/8)
Fox News:
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Linked To 20% Of US Coronavirus Cases In August: Researchers
Nineteen percent of the 1.4 million new coronavirus cases in the U.S. between Aug. 2 and Sept. 2 can be traced back to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally held in South Dakota, according to researchers from San Diego State University's Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies.That's more than 266,000 coronavirus cases attributed to the 10-day event, which more than 460,000 people attended despite fears it could become a so-called super-spreader event. (Fordham, 9/8)
And the governor of South Dakota responds —
Billings Gazette:
South Dakota Governor: Study Connecting 250K Virus Cases To Sturgis Rally Is 'Grossly Misleading'
A new study reports that the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may be linked to more than 250,000 COVID-19 cases across the country, but state health officials countered that the study has yet to be peer-reviewed and Gov. Kristi Noem said the study is "grossly misleading" and built on "incredibly faulty assumptions that do not reflect the actual facts and data here in South Dakota.""This report isn't science; it's fiction," Noem said. "Under the guise of academic research, this report is nothing short of an attack on those who exercised their personal freedom to attend Sturgis." (Matzen, 9/8)
Newsweek:
South Dakota Governor Dismisses Sturgis Motorcycle Rally COVID-19 Outbreak As 'Fiction'
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has dismissed a report suggesting the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was a "superspreading event" for COVID-19 that cost billions of dollars in health costs. Researchers from the Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies at San Diego State University in California claimed event, which attracted nearly 500,000 visitors, may have resulted in 266,796 new coronavirus cases—nearly 20 percent of the 1.4 million new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the U.S. between August 2 and September 2. (Palmer, 9/9)
