They did it again!
https://twitter.com/bhrenton/status/1429627814958014464
The Motorcycle rally did it twice.
So as Florida maybe burns out of cases in a few weeks, the COVID villain spot will switch back to Kristi Noem, as she lets COVID rid through her state.
And both her and Desantis only narrowly won their governor races in 2018.
https://twitter.com/bhrenton/status/1429627814958014464
It's time to check in on South Dakota, which has seen a 200% increase in Covid-19 cases in the past two weeks — the highest growth rate in the nation. What happened two weeks ago? The Sturgis motorcycle rally. Quick thread on the data:
While nowhere close to the peak of last winter, cases in the state have started to increase after weeks of minimal case growth
Hospitalizations are on the rise as well, reaching levels not seen since May.
In Meade County, where Sturgis is located, we have started to see a sharp spike in cases, similar to the time around the rally last year. 38% of county residents are fully vaccinated, below the statewide average of 48%.
South Dakota ranks 27th for the percent of its residents fully vaccinated.
Meade County is ranked second in South Dakota counties for new cases.
Case growth in Meade County could spill over into neighboring counties as well.
As @ashishkjha notes, South Dakota's high level of population immunity through previous infection may not be enough to withstand the Delta variant and the effects of the Sturgis motorcycle rally. We will continue to monitor, but trends are not promising.
The Motorcycle rally did it twice.
So as Florida maybe burns out of cases in a few weeks, the COVID villain spot will switch back to Kristi Noem, as she lets COVID rid through her state.
And both her and Desantis only narrowly won their governor races in 2018.