A massive 552 members of the New York City Police Department have tested positive for the coronavirus, including 442 officers.
Additionally, 4,111 NYPD officers are now on sick leave, which accounts for 11.4 percent of the department’s uniformed force.
New York has become the US epicenter of the outbreak. As of Friday evening, there have been 25,500 confirmed cases of the Chinese virus and 366 deaths in the five boroughs.
The NYPD lost its first employee to the coronavirus on Thursday, Dennis Dickson, 62, a civilian cleaner at police HQ with a pre-existing heart condition.
“Today we lost one of our own,” Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a video message posted to Twitter on Thursday evening. “When Hurricane Sandy struck, he worked 17 days straight, and since the coronavirus has struck the city, he has been keeping the NYPD safe. Today he passed away from complications of the coronavirus. We have lost a member of the NYPD family and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
Today we lost one of our own:
City Custodial Assistant Dennis Dickson, who faithfully served with the NYPD since 2006, has passed away from complications related to the coronavirus.
Our deepest sympathies & all of our prayers go out to Dennis’ colleagues & family.#NeverForget pic.twitter.com/EOcWNsBAHY
— Commissioner Shea (@NYPDShea) March 27, 2020
NYPD’s head of counter-terrorism, deputy commissioner John Miller, is also in serious condition at Lenox Hill Hospital with symptoms of coronavirus, according to a report from the New York Post.
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