NEW YORK — As COVID surges through New York City, a large chunk of the NYPD has called out sick, many with flu-like symptoms.
According to the New York Post, over 6,000 cops were home sick as of Tuesday. The numbers have been steadily rising in recent weeks. Last Tuesday, about 2,700 officers were home sick, with over 300 COVID positive.
On a typical day, about 1,400 officers call in sick, which is between 3 and 4 percent of the entire force of 36,000 uniformed officers. Of the more than 6,000 officers (17%) who are currently out, 3,000 have flu-like symptoms and over 1,300 have tested positive for COVID.
Many officers are being forced to work during the upcoming Holiday weekend, apparently as a result of the high numbers
According to the Daily News, the NYPD has canceled all regular days off for uniformed cops, including December 31st and January 1st. However a department spokesperson refused to confirm that the cancelled off-days are a result of the high number of officers out sick.
88% of all NYPD employees are fully vaccinated.
As reported by Vos Iz Neias