Police officer dies of COVID-19 after missing vaccination deadline

SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco police officer has died after testing positive for COVID-19 while he was on leave for failing to get vaccinated before the city’s deadline of Nov. 1.

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In a Facebook post, police confirmed that 47-year-old Officer Jack Nyce, a 17-year veteran of the San Francisco Police Department, died Nov. 6. His wife, Melissa Nyce, told the San Francisco Chronicle that her husband tested positive for COVID-19 four days before his death.

Lt. Tracy McCray, vice president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, confirmed to the Chronicle that Nyce died while on paid administrative leave for failing to get vaccinated as required by the city.

Melissa Nyce told KNTV that her husband was an Army veteran who grew up in San Francisco.

“He loved being a cop,” she said in an emotional interview with the Chronicle.

In a statement obtained by KNTV, Chief Bill Scott described Jack Nyce as “a widely respected colleague” who “served our city and our department honorably and well.” He asked that people “keep Jack, his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

In a news release last week, police said as many as 70 sworn and civilian employees had been placed on leave for failing to get vaccinated by Nov. 1, according to The Associated Press. As of Nov. 2, 97.5% of the police department’s workers were fully vaccinated.

Officers who continue to decline vaccination through Nov. 13 will be placed on unpaid administrative leave until the San Francisco Police Commission convenes a hearing, the AP reported.

Since the start of the pandemic, officials have reported 46.9 million COVID-19 cases and more than 761,000 deaths across the U.S., according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

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