Topline Coronavirus records are being broken on a near-daily basis in South Dakota, which is now dealing with its worst confirmed outbreak since the pandemic started—just weeks after the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally drew hundreds of thousands to the largely rural state. People sit at the outdoor bars at the Full Throttle Saloon during the 80th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle … [+] Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota on Aug. 9, 2020. (Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images) Getty Images Key Facts There are 216 patients hospitalized for coronavirus in South Dakota, the state reported Sunday—a record high at any point throughout the pandemic. That’s more than triple the amount, 66, that were hospitalized when the Sturgis rally ended on Aug. 16, while other major stats have also continued to climb. More than 365,000 people reportedly attended the 10-day rally in Sturgis, a number that is more than 40% of the state’s normal population. South Dakota has no coronavirus restrictions in place, and does not have any public mask-wearing mandates. New cases reached a record high of 579 on Saturday, marking the third time in the past week that a new case record was set; new cases declined to 412 on Sunday, but drops in new cases reported are typical on Sundays. On Thursday, the state tied its daily death record with eight confirmed coronavirus fatalities, matching the record that was set just the week before. Key Background Sturgis was one o… Click below to read the full story from Forbes
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