NYPD Out Sick Drops Below 10 Percent For First Time Since March

NEW YORK, NY — The number of NYPD officers out sick during the coronavirus pandemic has dropped below 10 percent of the department's workforce for the first time since March, data shared Saturday shows.

Only 3,554 members of the New York City Police Department, or about 9.8 percent of its uniformed workforce, were out sick on Saturday, the department said.

That number is about half of the 7,155 uniformed members who were out sick at what appears to be the peak of the coronavirus pandemic's toll on the department on April 9. The 7,155 members represented 19.8 percent of the uniformed workforce.

The dip below 10 percent, first reported by NY1, is a milestone in what has been a steady decline of officers staying home sick since April 9.

The last time the percent of uniformed officers out sick was below 10 percent was on March 25, just a few days after the department started releasing daily coronavirus updates.

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Nearly 1,100 of those members who are out sick have tested positive for the coronavirus and 325 civilian members of the NYPD are out sick with the virus, the department said. In all, 4,820 members of the NYPD have tested positive for coronavirus since the pandemic began.

The department has seen 35 of its members die from coronavirus-related illnesses.

As of Saturday, 3,363 members of the NYPD have returned to work after recovering from the coronavirus, according to the report.

The decline in sick officers comes the same day that Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced new testing that will let more NYPD members get tested for the coronavirus and its antibodies, which is used to determine those who may have had the virus previously to help monitor its rate of infection.

The increased testing capacity means firefighters, paramedics, police officers, doctors, nurses, grocery store employees, laundry workers, trash collectors and more can now receive tests, Cuomo said Saturday.

Antibody testing will extend to MTA transit workers, New York State Police troopers and New York Police Department officers.

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