Noem, a Republican who opposed masquerade mandates and many pandemic-related restrictions, rose to fame after Fox host Laura Ingraham compared South Dakota’s health and economic performance favorably to that of stricter and more democratically run New York. Ingraham then asked Noem why the media directed her at criticism.
Name said, ‘You know, Laura, I really think it’s about control. They have been using fear to control people for the last year. ‘ Name went on to say that since ‘science’ has made it clear that it is impossible to stop the virus completely, only to slow it down and protect ‘vulnerable’ people, she decides to ‘allow people to be flexible’ – to to take care of their families and still put food on the table. ‘
“It was a unique approach that worked really well for our people. We did have tragedies, and we had losses, but we also went through better than almost every other state. And I think the media hates it,” he said. Name said. “Because it’s really a testament to what Republicans believe, what conservatives believe in.”
It’s true that South Dakota fared better on virtually every other state on a major economic benchmark – its seasonally adjusted 3.0% application rate in December was the best in the country – but Noem did not say on Fox that this is what she talked about.
Of course, no state is actually “through” with the pandemic. While Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all on the
deterioration in the US they are falling from record levels. On Wednesday, South Dakota reported three new coronavirus deaths, 209 new cases and a total of 133 people currently hospitalized with the virus.
The comment of Noem has dr. Nancy Babbitt, a primary care physician in Rapid City, South Dakota, is upset. Babbitt told CNN that it was’ painful from a doctor’s point of view to see the governor focus her decisions on the economy, without explaining that the decisions were ‘real pain and suffering’ caused by additional infections and additional deaths.
Name supports some limited pandemic restrictions in 2020. But she was generally a staunch opponent of restrictions and mandates, and deserved national media attention – and sparked speculation about the possibility of a presidential candidate in 2024 – by to plead for “freedom” and “personal responsibility.”
Name also endorsed large gatherings without social distance. South Dakota’s fall coronavirus crisis occurred after the annual, massive Sturgis motorcycle race in August, which Noem supported during the pandemic.
The numbers
South Dakota experienced 12,280 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people as of Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins data – meaning about 1 in 8 residents of the state had the virus. (As in other states and states, the true number may be significantly higher.) North Dakota, with 12,851 cases per 100,000 people, was the only state with a worse per capita figure; New York – which is very densely populated and which experienced its first major outbreak when less was known about the virus – was 7,423 cases per 100,000 people.
South Dakota experienced 201 coronavirus deaths per 100,000 people as of Thursday – meaning about 1 in every 500 people in the state died from the virus. Only New Jersey (244 deaths per 100,000 people), New York (227), Massachusetts (213), Mississippi (208) and Rhode Island (207) fared worse with this measure.
South Dakota had relatively few cases and deaths in the first half of 2020, when some other states, including New York, were already stuck in a crisis. But South Dakota then had a major fallout, with new cases peaking in November and new deaths in early December.
Ian Fury, spokesman for Noem, told CNN that South Dakota experienced its pandemic peak in the fall and has since experienced a major improvement in its number, while situations in other states have worsened since the fall. Given the difference in the timing of each state’s outbreak, Fury said it is difficult at this stage to make an apple-to-apple comparison.
Fair enough – it is quite possible that the performance of South Dakota compared to other states over three months or six months will look somewhat better. But there is just no good argument now that South Dakota has come through the pandemic better from a health perspective than virtually any other state.
What was Noem bragging about on Fox then? Fury said the governor’s comments were not only about public health, but also about the state economy and the budget.
Fury cites the low state unemployment rate that actually declined in 2020, the fact that the state has a fiscal surplus, while some states that have imposed stricter restrictions are experiencing fiscal strife, and the fact that South Dakota has an influx of residents from other see states.
Fury also mentioned that South Dakota has so far been a national leader in the rate at which residents have been vaccinated against the virus, a fact that President Joe Biden’s administration said
acknowledge.
Still, Noem did not explain to Fox that she was specifically talking about how South Dakota has fared well through financial measures or at the rate of vaccination. She simply made a general statement that South Dakota fared better than virtually any other state in overcoming the pandemic. This is a very incomplete version of the state’s story.
