Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, SD 57069, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Sep 13;20(18):6748. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20186748.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, which is the source of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was declared a pandemic in the March of 2020. Travel and tourism were severely impacted as restrictions were imposed to help slow the disease spread, but some states took alternative approaches to travel restrictions. This study investigated the spread of COVID-19 in South Dakota during the early pandemic period to better understand how tourism affected the movement of the virus within the region. Sequences from the fall of 2020 were retrieved from public sources. CDC and other sources were used to determine infections, deaths, and tourism metrics during this time. The data were analyzed using correlation and logistic regression. This study found that the number of unique variants per month was positively correlated with hotel occupancy, but not with the number of cases or deaths. Interestingly, the emergence of the B.1.2 variant in South Dakota was positively correlated with increased case numbers and deaths. Data show that states with a shelter-in-place order were associated with a slower emergence of the B.1.2 variant compared to states without such an order, including South Dakota. Findings suggest complex relationships between tourism, SARS-CoV-2 infections, and mitigation strategies. The unique approach that South Dakota adopted provided insights into the spread of the disease in areas without state-wide restrictions. Our results suggest both positive and negative aspects of this approach. Finally, our data highlight the need for future surveillance efforts, including efforts focused on identifying variants with known increased transmission potential to produce effective population health management.
严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 型（SARS-CoV-2）病毒是 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的病原体，该病毒于 2020 年 3 月被宣布为大流行。由于实施了限制措施以帮助减缓疾病传播，旅行和旅游业受到了严重影响，但有些州采取了替代旅行限制的方法。本研究调查了 COVID-19 在南达科他州大流行早期的传播情况，以更好地了解旅游业如何影响该地区病毒的传播。从 2020 年秋季从公共来源检索到序列。在此期间，使用疾病预防控制中心和其他来源来确定感染、死亡和旅游指标。使用相关性和逻辑回归分析数据。本研究发现，每月独特变体的数量与酒店入住率呈正相关，但与病例或死亡数量无关。有趣的是，B.1.2 变体在南达科他州的出现与病例数量和死亡人数的增加呈正相关。数据表明，与没有此类命令的州相比，实行就地避难命令的州与 B.1.2 变体的出现速度较慢有关，包括南达科他州。研究结果表明，旅游业、SARS-CoV-2 感染和缓解策略之间存在复杂的关系。南达科他州采用的独特方法为没有全州范围限制的地区提供了对疾病传播的深入了解。我们的研究结果表明了这种方法的积极和消极方面。最后，我们的数据强调了未来监测工作的必要性，包括努力识别具有已知增加传播潜力的变体，以进行有效的人群健康管理。
