COVID19

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

By Jaime E. Love 4 days 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 Linked To COVID-19 Outbreak Across Upper Midwest

By Jaime E. Love 1 month ago

The 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally will go down in infamy as a “superspreader event” that led to hundreds of thousands COVID-19 cases spanning several states and cost billions of dollars for public health care agencies. It was the nearly two-week event in August that drew half a million attendees, some of whom saw Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell tell a packed crowd, “We’re all here together tonight! Fuck that COVID shit.”

And while the Sturgis rally is directly linked to 330 cases, experts believe it could be responsible for the Upper Midwest outbreak in the United States, according to a new report from the Washington Post. 

The rally took place in South Dakota where no restrictions on gatherings were being imposed. Even as health officials pleaded with possible attendees to skip this year’s event, many were defiant over the belief that their freedoms were being taken away. Many

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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 2 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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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is using COVID-19 relief funds to pay for a $5 million tourism ad campaign, despite a surge in coronavirus cases following the Sturgis motorcycle rally

By Jaime E. Love 3 months ago

  • South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is going to use $5 million in coronavirus relief funds on a tourism ad campaign. 

  • South Dakota experienced a spike in COVID-19 cases following last month’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally which researchers believe might be responsible for more than 19% of all new US cases.

  • The state now ranks second in the country for new cases per capita over the last two weeks, with 439 new cases per 100,000 people, but Noem is actively still encouraging people to visit. 

  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Related: 25K for world-famous motorcycle rally amid pandemic

In the weeks following the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, South Dakota has emerged as a COVID-19 hotspot. 

Despite the spike in infections, the Gov. Kristi Noem decided to spend $5 million in federal coronavirus relief funds on a tourism ad campaign to actively bring outsiders to the state, according to the Associated Press. 

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