A Minnesota man who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally this year has died from the coronavirus.
According to The Washington Post, this is the first fatality from the virus traced to the rally, which drew more than 400,000 people this year.
The man was in his 60s, had underlying conditions and had been hospitalized in an intensive care unit after returning from the rally, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
“You have the potential to amplify transmission in multiple places. That’s what’s concerning from a broader public health standpoint,” Kris Ehresmann, infectious-disease director at the Minnesota Department of Health, told WaPo.
Cowboy State Daily reported in late August that there have been at least 10 reported cases in Wyoming that can be directly tied to the rally.
Traffic at the 2020 rally declined by only 7.5% from 2019 numbers despite the coronavirus pandemic, according to South Dakota officials.
