Confirmations of new coronavirus cases are rising in 22 of the 50 U.S. states, Reuters reports, citing the news agency's analysis of public health data. The news came as Americans gather for the Labor Day holiday weekend that traditionally marks the end of summer, and public health authorities warned that holiday crowds raised the risk of new infections.
Most of the states reporting rising infections are in thinly populated parts of the Midwest and South. South Dakota showed the largest increase on a percentage basis, with 3,700 new cases over the past two weeks, a 126 percent increase compared to the previous two weeks. Some of the new cases were linked to the massive annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, which attracted hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists in August. Nationwide, the increases were offset by falling new infections in the heavily populated states of California, Florida, and Texas.
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