Warnings About the Sturgis Rally Have Come Tragically True

[TomCADem]

It is sad how a whole political party has become so invested in gaslighting Americans with respect to the dangers and appropriate response to COVID-19.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/warnings-about-the-sturgis-rally-have-come-tragically-true/ar-AANLeMg?li=BBorjTa

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.

[orwell]

1. Just more CON "leadership"...

...maybe they can kill all of "the true believers" and the rest of us can move forward without the crazy...

[LakeArenal]

2. This is o e time it almost hurts to rec.

The stoopid humanity. Gawd.

[justhanginon]

3. Governor Noem invited all the Harley Appleseeds to come to Sturgis

and then as they return home, strew the Delta variant across the country. Beyond stupid!

[Tomconroy]

4. I suspect Sturgis contributed to the spread. But neither

North Dakota not South Dakota had a delta spike. There numbers until the last week were tiny like everybody's until July. Now delta has reached them and they are getting big spikes like all the other states. Is Sturgis partly responsible? Probably. Is it solely responsible? Unlikely.

[gay texan]

5. Common sense and your typical

MAGA Harley riding derp, are rarely ever seen together