COVID Death Has Now Been Linked to Sturgis

Motorcycle rally drew more than 400K to South Dakota
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 3, 2020 2:00 AM CDT
First COVID Death Has Been Linked to Motorcycle Rally
In this Aug. 7, 2020 file photo, people congregate at One-Eyed Jack's Saloon during the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, SD.   (AP Photo/Stephen Groves File)

Coronavirus cases linked to a huge South Dakota motorcycle rally have slowly been trickling in, and now the first COVID-19 death has been linked to the rally. More than 400,000 attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally between Aug. 7 and Aug. 16, and so far at least 260 cases in 11 states have been linked to it. Epidemiologists believe that is likely a significant undercount and the true count may never be known. The biker who died was hospitalized after returning to his home state of Minnesota; he was in his 60s and had underlying conditions, the Washington Post reports. KOTA-TV reports that taxes collected at this year's rally, which comprise sales, tourism, municipal sales, and municipal gross receipts, were up 6% from last year's. (More on the cases tied to Sturgis here.)

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