Coronavirus cases have risen sixfold in South Dakota since August’s beginning, just three weeks after the rally began. Although it is unclear how many rallygoers have spread the virus via secondary infections, South Dakota health officials have reported 63 cases so far among residents who attended the event.
Meade County has been the epicenter of the rally. It is a hotbed for new cases and boasts a per capita rate comparable to those in the hardest-hit Southern States. Johns Hopkins researchers found that the county had the highest number of cases in the state within the past two weeks.
Monument Health, the largest hospital in the Black Hills, said Friday that it had seen its hospitalizations for the virus increase from 5 to 78 this month. It was preparing for more COVID-19 victims by making room conversions to intensive care units and changing staff.
Virus cases were already rising when the rally began. It’s hard to gauge how much the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was to blame in a region that has seen local fairs, youth leagues, and other gatherings resume.
Meade County could however be a sign of things to follow for the Upper Midwest, as infections ripple from these events, according to Dr. Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
He said, “This coronavirus forestfire will continue burning any human wood that it can find.” It will find you and it is so infectious.
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Minnesota all reported cases among those who attended the rally. North Dakota also reported two hospitalizations. Some health officials suggested that the virus could have been spread to others.
A team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined last year’s rally looked like a “superspreader event.” The team said the event offered a lesson: Such large gatherings can result in “widespread transmission” of infections and attendees should follow precautions like getting vaccinated, wearing masks and social distancing.
The aftermath of this year’s rally looks eerily similar to last year — when the event heralded a wave that did not subside until the winter.
Osterholm stated that the pandemic effects of the rally will not be visible for several weeks, and that a precise case count will likely remain unknown.
Daniel Bucheli, spokesperson for the state Department of Health said that the virus spike follows a “national trend being experienced in all states, not just South Dakota.”
He also noted that Meade County’s vaccination rates of 45% and 56% respectively are lower than the state average.
Sturgis also dismissed the virus numbers. It issued a statement blaming the positive rate increase on an “important increase in testing to prevent the spread of COVID-19”, and accusing “individuals within the national media” for mischaracterizing it.
Despite the more contagious delta variant, this year’s motorcycle rally was even bigger than last year. More than 500,000 people showed up during the 10-day rally.
The streets of Sturgis filled with rallygoers drawn to the libertarian rules of South Dakota — motorcycle helmets weren’t required, minimal attire and bodypainting were welcome, and masks were often nowhere in sight. Bikers crowded into bars to see rock shows.
After contracting the virus, two bands performing at the rally cancelled their shows. Corey Taylor (lead singer for Slipknot) told fans he was “very very sick” with COVID-19. He did not specify where he got it.
Taylor stated this week in a Facebook video that “this is the worst I have ever been sick.” “Had it not been for me to get vaccinated, I shudder at the thought of how terrible it would have been.”
