More than 500 NYPD employees have coronavirus – among one in TEN officers out sick as NYC is crippled by epidemic – The Sun

AT least 512 New York Police Department officers have tested positive for coronavirus, as more than ten percent of officers are out sick, according to reports.

The reports came as New York was overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases, as NYC confirmed more than 26,000 cases of the virus, with 450 deaths.

A total of 4,111 NYPD officers were out sick on Friday – accounting for 11.4 percent of workers, Fox News reported.

Last week, only 52 officers were confirmed to have COVID-19 – but that number jumped nearly ten times to 512 in a week.

The number of sick workers at the department has continued to climb over the two weeks as the city is crippled with the pandemic.

On Thursday, 3,737 cops of varying ranks were out sick, the New York Post reported.

The next day, that number climbed even higher.

A total of 351 coronavirus cases were confirmed in NYPD members on Thursday, a department spokesperson told the New York Post.

That number also jumped by more than 100, to a total of 512 on Friday, Fox News reported.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea told Fox5 on Friday he anticipates COVID-19 cases in the department will continue to go up.

"As I sit here right now, over 4,000 members out sick, most of them with the same symptoms of some degree," Shea told Fox5.

"Not all of them have been tested. It depends on the severity of the illness.

Shea added the number grew by the hundreds in a matter of days.

He added: "As we sit here now, positive. That number is going to grow."

The police department announced Thursday that its first family member, Custodial Assistant Dennis Dickson, was the first person from the NYPD to die of coronavirus.

"Our thoughts go out to his loved ones during this difficult time," the NYPD News tweeted.

Shea told NBC the department was ensuring they had proper coverage where it was needed.

7

7

"It's next man and next woman up in terms of replacing people that have reported sick," Shea said.

"We are backfilling patrol where we need to – we're taking on a variety of assignments.

"But make no mistake – we are going to get through this."

Source: Read Full Article