PIERRE, S.D. (WNAX) – A study by a German agency that they say shows more than 250,000 Covid-19 cases connected to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is being questioned by state health officials.

The IZA Institute of Labor Economics study suggests public health costs of over $12 billion connected to the rally spread.

State Epidemiologist Dr. Josh Clayton says its not a standard study.

Clayton says that study doesn’t follow the cases directly linked to Sturgis.

The state has tracked 124 cases directly linked to the rally.

Health Department Secretary Kim Malsam-Rysdon says they don’t see the same costs as in the study.

Governor Kristi Noem also criticized the study calling it “more fiction than science.”