Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.Photo: Scott Olson/Getty
Cases of COVID-19 have jumped up nearly sixfold in South Dakota in the two weeks following theannual Sturgis motorcycle rally.
Prior tothe 10-day rally, which attracts thousands of people from across the Midwest for concerts and bar hopping in the state’s Meade County, South Dakota was averaging around 50 new infections a day. In the two weeks since, cases are now up 152%,according toThe New York Times, and on Aug. 24 the state reported 785 new infections.
South Dakota Department of Health spokesperson Daniel Buchelisaid to NBC Newsthat the increase in cases “are following a national trend being experienced in every state.”
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.Scott Olson/Getty
“It is important to mention that Meade County currently has a lower vaccination rate than other counties in SD,” he added.
After last year’s Sturgis rally,researchers estimated that more than 260,000 COVID-19 casesacross multiple states could be linked back to the event, based on anonymous cellphone data.
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“If@JoeBidenillegally mandates vaccines, I will take every action available under the law to protect South Dakotans from the federal government,” she tweeted.
Currently, 49% of state residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
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source: people.com
