San Francisco police officer dies of Covid while on leave for refusing to take vaccine

97.5% of city’s police force is vaccinated following 1 November mandate deadline

A San Francisco police officer has died of Covid-19 while on administrative leave for not being vaccinated.

Jack Nyce, a 17-year veteran of the force, was put on a month of paid leave for not meeting the city’s 1 November deadline to submit his vaccination status.

Lt Tracy McCray, vice president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, told The San Francisco Chronicle that it was during this time that Mr Nyce, who was not vaccinated, contracted Covid-19.

He died of complications from his battle with the virus at a hospital in Manteca, California, with his wife Melissa at his side. She told the Chronicle that “he loved being a cop”.

Mr Nyce, who also served in the army, tested positive for the virus last Tuesday and his health deteriorated rapidly.

On Saturday, his wife called an ambulance to take him to the hospital, where he died later that day.

In a post on Facebook marking the passing of Mr Nyce, the San Francisco Police Department said: “We mourn the loss of our very own, Officer Jack Nyce who passed away this past Saturday.”

“He was 47 years old and had served our great city for 17 years. He was most recently assigned to a District Station and served in a variety of assignments throughout his career,” the post reads. “He leaves behind many friends, co-workers, and family members that will miss him dearly.”

It concludes: “Thank you for your service to our city Jack Nyce, you will never be forgotten.”

The death of Officer Nyce comes as cities around the country are at odds with some members of their police forces over vaccine mandates.

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other major cities have faced legal challenges, had walkouts threatened, and clashed with police unions over the requirement for officers to be vaccinated.

Nearly 200 members of the San Francisco Police Department applied for a religious exemption in September, and approximately 70 officers and civilian workers were placed on leave on 1 November when the deadline passed.

As of 2 November, 97.5 per cent of the city’s police force is fully vaccinated, according to a release from the department. From Saturday, those who have not shown proof of vaccination will be placed on unpaid leave.

When New York’s vaccine mandate was put into effect on the same day, police union threats that the city would be understaffed by up to 10,000 officers did not materialise and only 34 NYPD officers were placed on unpaid leave and there was no interruption to service.