cases

7 deaths, 91 trauma cases in record 2021

By Matthew A. Garcia 2 months ago

A 53-year-old woman, who was injured in a motorcycle crash Saturday died at the hospital Monday, making her the seventh person to die during the 10-day Bike Week event held in Daytona Beach.

In addition to the deaths, close to 100 patients admitted to the trauma center at Halifax Health Medical Center were related to Bike Week, according to a preliminary report released by the hospital Wednesday.

Halifax Health Medical Center spokesman John Guthrie had said, prior to the release of the statistics: “It may be a record-breaking week, unfortunately.”

More people were killed in accidents involving motorcycles during this year’s Bike Week compared to 2020’s event where six people lost their lives. One person died during 2019’s Bike Week, according to News-Journal research.

More:6 riders killed in crashes during Daytona’s 80th Bike Week, multiple trauma cases reported

More:South Carolina man killed in Port Orange motorcycle accident marks

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CDC Reveals Wild Spread of COVID-19 Cases From Sturgis Rally

By Jaime E. Love 5 months ago
Michael Ciaglo/Getty
Michael Ciaglo/Getty

Scientists have used genomic testing to show how COVID-19 spread from a notorious weeklong motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, over the summer to dozens of Minnesota residents who didn’t even attend.

The question of how much virus was spread by the August event has been the subject of controversy, with one group of economists using cellphone data estimating 266,000 cases could be linked to the rally and others calling that fiction.

But a new study released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employed genomic sequencing in virus samples to find similarities among patients and prove the cases were linked.

The results: It identified 51 Minnesotans who got coronavirus from attending the rally—and 35 more residents of that state who contracted it from the original group or from a secondary patient. Four were hospitalized and one died.

Fellow Governor Blasts Kristi Noem for

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Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Responsible for at Least 86 COVID Cases, 1 Death in Minnesota, CDC Says

By Jaime E. Love 6 months ago

In a weekly report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this past summer’s Sturgis motorcycle rally was responsible for at least 86 COVID-19 cases and one death in Minnesota.

The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released on Friday said that after investigating all outbreaks associated with the rally among Minnesotans, the Minnesota Department of Health found 51 primary event-associated cases and identified another 35 among their close contacts, or “secondary or tertiary cases”.

Among the 86 related cases in the state, four patients were hospitalized and one died.

Over a 10-day period in August, nearly half a million people attended the motorcycle rally in South Dakota with no mask requirements or social distancing. The event was supported by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who continues to refuse to implement a statewide mask mandate as the state faces one of the nation’s deadliest outbreaks.

Although the rally did

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Tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts traveled to the Lake of the Ozarks for a bike rally weeks after a similar event in Sturgis was linked to COVID-19 cases in 8 states

By Jaime E. Love 8 months ago
Motorcyclists ride down Lazelle Street during the 80th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota on August 8, 2020. <p class="copyright">Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images</p>
Motorcyclists ride down Lazelle Street during the 80th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota on August 8, 2020.

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts descended upon Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks for its Bikefest this weekend, approximately three weeks after a similar rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, was linked to COVID-19 cases in at least eight states.

The five-day festival started on Wednesday, as Missouri continues to see a surge in COVID-19 cases. On Saturday, Missouri reported 1,387 new cases, and, according to the Associated Press, hospitalizations are rising.

Missouri has no statewide mask requirement, and Lake Ozark Mayor Gerry Murawski told the Kansas City Star last week that he had doubts motorcycle rally attendees would wear face coverings.

“It’s just that’s the way they are,” he told The Star.

The festival, which includes five days of motorcycle rides, concerts, and events at bars

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