Controversial Study Estimates "Superspreader" Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Linked to 266,000 COVID-19 Cases

The massive Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which brought more than 460,000 people to a tiny city of 7,000 residents in South Dakota in August, was a “superspreader” event that was responsible for more than 260,000 new cases of COVID-19 across the nation.

That’s the provocative conclusion from a new study from the Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies at San Diego State University, which also estimated that these cases cost the nation around $12.2 billion.

These numbers have been rejected by city and state officials, who noted that the study...

In September 2020, social media was abuzz over a report from the IZA Institute of Labor Economics that linked 266,796 COVID-19 coronavirus cases (a figure that was reported as “more than 250,000” in various headlines) to the Sturgis motorcycle rally held in Sturgis, South Dakota:

IZA Institute of Labor Economics truly did publish a paper estimating that the rally was linked to a surge of approximately 250,000 COVID-19 cases (representing a cost of $12.2 billion). However, while the rally likely contributed to a rise in coronavirus cases, the figures stated...