Study Finds Trump Rallies Spread Virus
Caused 30,000 COVID-19 cases, may have led to 700 deaths, report estimates. Oshkosh rally a kay part of study.
A study by Stanford University researchers estimates that 18 of Donald Trump’s large-scale campaign rallies held between between June 20 and Sept. 30 resulted in 30,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and probably led to more than 700 deaths among attendees and others they infected. Among those rallies was one in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The study, released Friday by Stanford economics professor B. Douglas Bernheim and three doctoral students, looked at the trajectory of cases in the counties in which the rallies were held, and found they were highly risky affairs:
“Our analysis strongly supports the warnings and recommendations of public health officials concerning the risk of COVID-19 transmission at large group gatherings, particularly when the degree of compliance with guidelines concerning the use of masks and social distancing is low,” the authors said. “The communities in which Trump rallies took place paid a high price in terms of disease and death.”
The rally in Oshkosh was held on August 17. According to a story by Molly Beck and Chris Mueller, it “drew hundreds, if not more than 1,000 attendees — with many wearing face masks, but not all. There was little or no distance between seats. Most of those in attendance were outside… though some were seated in an open airplane hangar.”
The study put considerable emphasis on the Oshkosh rally because Wisconsin provides COVID-19 rates by county and because there was a spike in cases in Winnebago county, where Appleton is located, and Marathon County (where Wausau is located) and is relatively close to Oshkosh. “For Marathon county, the increase in positivity rates started immediately after the rally and continued to climb sharply for several weeks. For Winnebago county, positivity rates roughly doubled over the first four weeks, and then continued to climb sharply,” the study found, while the rest of the state’s counties showed no comparable increase.
Courtney Parella, the Trump campaign’s deputy national press secretary, defended the campaign in a Washington Post story on the study. “Americans have the right to gather under the First Amendment to hear from the President of the United States,” she said. She also noted that the campaign took precautions, including “signs at our events instructing attendees to wear their masks.”
The Biden campaign charged that the study provides more evidence that Trump is holding “superspreader” events. “Donald Trump doesn’t even care about the very lives of his strongest supporters,” spokesman Andrew Bates told the newspaper.
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
More about the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Milwaukee County Announces New Policies Related to COVID-19 Pandemic - County Executive David Crowley - May 9th, 2023
- DHS Details End of Emergency COVID-19 Response - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Apr 26th, 2023
- Milwaukee Health Department Announces Upcoming Changes to COVID-19 Services - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Mar 17th, 2023
- Fitzgerald Applauds Passage of COVID-19 Origin Act - U.S. Rep Scott Fitzgerald - Mar 10th, 2023
- DHS Expands Free COVID-19 Testing Program - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Feb 10th, 2023
- MKE County: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rising - Graham Kilmer - Jan 16th, 2023
- Not Enough Getting Bivalent Booster Shots, State Health Officials Warn - Gaby Vinick - Dec 26th, 2022
- Nearly All Wisconsinites Age 6 Months and Older Now Eligible for Updated COVID-19 Vaccine - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Dec 15th, 2022
- City of Milwaukee Bi-Weekly COVID-19 Update - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Dec 9th, 2022
- MKE County: COVID-19 Disease Burden Remains Stable - Graham Kilmer - Nov 25th, 2022
Read more about Coronavirus Pandemic here
Back in the News
-
Wisconsin Center Dispute Goes National
Apr 25th, 2023 by Bruce Murphy
-
Uihleins Are Now Billionaires
Apr 17th, 2023 by Bruce Murphy
-
Wisconsin Center Accused of Censorship
Apr 11th, 2023 by Bruce Murphy
My hope is that these Trump rallies will stop. My fear is that he may find a need for more of them, regardless of the outcome of the election.