Johns Hopkins researchers question controversial study linking Sturgis rally to COVID-19 spike

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University are raising doubts about a study that estimated that a massive motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, last month led to more than 260,000 new cases of coronavirus nationwide.

The study, released late last week by four economists associated with the Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies at San Diego State University, also found that the annual event resulted in more than $12 billion in health care costs stemming from the infections.

The study has drawn considerable public attention in part because it seemed to confirm concerns expressed by health officials prior to the rally  which drew nearly 500,000 attendees over 10 days  about the potential risks of such a large gathering. The San Diego center's research also appeared to show a much larger coronavirus outbreak due to the Sturgis event than other sources. The Associated Press reported finding just 290 cases of coronavirus among people who attended the event nationwide.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who declined to restrict the event despite concerns about spreading the virus, has derided the study as "fiction."

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