Warnings About the Sturgis Rally Have Come Tragically True

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

In western South Dakota’s Meade County, more than one in three COVID-19 tests are currently returning positive, and over the last three weeks, seven-day average case counts have increased by 3,400 percent. This exponential growth in cases is likely attributable to the 81st Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which drew an estimated half a million visitors to Meade County and its environs from Aug. 6 through 15, potentially acting as a superspreader event.

The pandemic is surging nationally, not just proximal to biker chaos in South Dakota. Defined in large part by the emergence of the highly transmissible Delta variant, the United States is experiencing its fourth surge of COVID-19 right now, and our nationwide case counts have increased by 64.4 percent over the last 21 days. (For more on our methodology, see our note at the bottom of this column.)

But while Southern states have been the main drivers of this surge thus far, the recent spike in cases in South Dakota warrants special concern.

The state more broadly has witnessed a 686.8 percent increase in daily case counts over the past three weeks, currently more than 10 times the nationwide rate. Meade County’s post-Sturgis uptick is certainly a contributor to this state-level increase, but neighboring counties have experienced a sharp incline in cases, too—ranging from a 1,900 percent increase in the past three weeks in Butte to a 1,050 percent increase in Lawrence.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/warnings-sturgis-rally-come-tragically-085648542.html

[secondwind]

1. Tired of this crap........... WHAT DID THEY EXPECT????

[Rhiannon12866]

5. +1000!

[Escurumbele]

9. I am also tired of this crap, and frustrated that not even one good lawyer seems to be preparing

cases against these governors who, knowing the risks associated with their actions, have allowed people to become infected and some to die. If that is not premeditated murder, please tell me what is. You don't have to pull the trigger, there is no trigger to pull, the murderers are using a "biological weapon" to kill citizens.

[2Gingersnaps]

21. Just how many dead constituents does it take

to make a "God fearing Christian" a viable candidate for higher office?

[Mr. Evil]

13. Stupid!

They expected lots of stupid events.
They expected lots of stupid games.
They expected lots of stupid partying.
They expected lots of stupid like-minded people.
They are going to win stupid prizes.
They exhibited a monumental level of complete and total stupid!

Stupid idiots gonna stupid idiot. They just can't help themselves.

[madaboutharry]

2. But Gov. Snow Queen is protecting everyone

from….the Federal government!

[IronLionZion]

3. Freedom isn't free

sacrifices must be made for freedom. Or we can blame undocumented immigrants coming across the border to South Dakota, not the thousands of American bikers. It's because Biden didn't do a Trumpy travel ban or build a COVID wall.

No one could have seen this coming

[Escurumbele]

12. Your comment aligns with the band Genesis lyric of

"Some of you are going to die, martyrs of course of the freedom that I shall provide." - Album: "Trespass" - Song: "The Knife"

For those of you who may be intrigued to their music back then, which I happen to believe was their best years.

[link:

|

[Initech]

22. Great album!

[LiberalLovinLug]

23. nice

Love any excuse to play early Genesis prog rock

[Initech]

4. Lollapallooza was a success because they followed strict protocols.

Sturgis was a disaster because they didn't. Get how that works, MAGAs?

[Marthe48]

6. Was it a Last Man Standing contest

or a bike rally?

[AllaN01Bear]

7. told ya so. hem

/revision/latest?cb=20090729102006

[Submariner]

8. If Sturgis area children die

the governor should be impeached and sued for negligent homicide by the parents.

[benfranklin1776]

29. Yes and prosecuted.

Negligent homicide is a crime even in South Dakota.

[OnlinePoker]

10. I guess that's one way to cull the outlaw motorcycle gangs. n/t

[COL Mustard]

16. Wait...What?

I thought they were owning us!!!

[SayItLoud]

11. Herd stupidity. NT

[SWBTATTReg]

14. Thanks South Dakota and bikers. Your ignorant desire to 'express your 'free dumb'

is going to sicken and/or kill more innocent Americans, your friends, your neighbors, and/or your family members.

I hope you feel proud of yourselves.

All I can say is that I am pissed off at your ignorant and nonchalant attitude about the lives of everyone around you by still holding this event still in SD. The state of SD has revealed itself to be a self-centered, greedy and uncaring state filled w/ residents who care about the almighty dollar and not their fellow Americans. I once valued this wide open, 'the wind in your hair feeling' that one gets w/ a bike, the same w/ the party atmosphere in New Orleans (another super spreader event), or the Lollapalooza (basically safe, w/ the event organizers working w/ health officials to keep disease spread to a minimum).

I think another bigger backlash is coming, especially against rogue governors who rule not by the medical experts but by arcane poll numbers that only they interpret (and no one else), and against all of those who insist on remaining a vector of disease to all others around them. In effect, millions of Typhoid Mary's, most of whom have unrestricted access to the rest of us in the U.S. and the world.

[bucolic_frolic]

15. COVID buildout

A virus is gonna do what a virus does.

[hadEnuf]

17. I feel bad for the innocents affected by this.

As for the rest of the anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers, tough shit.

[greenjar_01]

18. In contrast, the sensible mitigation efforts at Lollapalooza

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/covid-dashboard.html

[xxqqqzme]

19. The rethuglican

governor must be so proud.
And she will probably be re-elected

Didn't anyone go to biology class?

[lastlib]

30. Biology??

Most of these clowns don't get past fifth-grade science.

[lindysalsagal]

20. Make a few quick bucks, kill granny.

Hope they're real proud.

[Politicub]

24. It was bound to happen, with the delta variant raging.

Someone posted a link to live street cam from the event, and people were walking around unmasked and shoulder-to-shoulder.

There were also several concerts that had people crammed in.

What an avoidable mess.

[aggiesal]

25. I would consider Sturgis as a Super Superspreader event. ...

Or Guaranteed Superspreader event
or Maximum Superspreader event
or ...

I'm sure we come up with a name, that it really is.

[LymphocyteLover]

26. Uggh, these people really are a moronic death cult

[GoodRaisin]

27. Fucking stupid, selfish old people party

The participants in these rallies look like most of them escaped from convalescent homes, parading around in doo-rags and wallet chains taking pictures of each other for their "tough guy" Facebook profiles.

People dying for the sake of having this nonsense is tragic. And they spread it all across the country when they go home.

[RainCaster]

28. North Dumfukistan

So much like the southern states.

[BumRushDaShow]

31. This will probably be worse than last year

mainly because of Delta. Lots of "host food" at that gathering.

Delta don't play.

[Orrex]

32. Good. Fuck them.

[TygrBright]

33. This is gonna happen in MN from the Great Minnesota Superspreader Event, too. n/t

[GopherGal]

35. Probably seeded from the Sturgis Second Annual SuperDuperspreader Event n/t

[MrModerate]

34. Delta is different. They've been saying this for months, but some still don't get it. n/t

[ProfessorGAC]

36. As Bad As This Is....

...some context is in order.
On July 16, the 7 day moving average of new cases was 19. On the 25th of August, it was 310.
That's a 16 fold increase. Huge, but still only 310 cases. Starting with such a tiny number is going to lend itself to huge relative increases.
Florida had over 24,000 cases yesterday. Florida is around 28 times the population, but 80 times the cases.
And, this surge of cases is still well below the level they saw last November. They were near or over a thousand cases per day for a whole month then.
Admittedly, the moving average line is heading upward pretty steeply. But, they've got a long way to match their worst period.
Given the numbers we're seeing about % of people over 50 vaxxed, I wonder how many of these "freedumb" bleating bikers actually got vaxxed well before they headed to sturgis.
Locals, being foolish enough to think Noem was a good idea, are possible getting infected because they were the unprotected population.
Finally, the 7 day moving average of deaths has been bouncing between zero & one for a couple weeks.
I do think going forward with the rally was stupid. But, I think we need to wait a bit to see actual impact.


https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa/south-dakota/

[yaesu]

37. The Covid Virus would like to thank Sturgis bikers for their cooperation and plans on awarding them

with the medal of Freedumb.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

38. Vast majority of Sturgis infections are out of state and not quantifiable.....

'cause 'Merica and 'cause tRump and by extension 'cause Noem.

I've heard for years that most attendees to this rally are from all over the USA and that there's little or no records of who attends.

This is symbolic of how right-wingers get away with so much of their evil because they cleverly avoid direct accountability.

Total freedom of will and no contact tracing adds up to pandemic disaster.........