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California police officer dies of Covid while on leave for missing vaccination deadline

As of Friday, 97.2 percent of the San Francisco Police Department were in compliance with the city's vaccination mandate, a police department spokesperson said.
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A San Francisco police officer who was on leave for missing the city's Covid vaccination deadline has died after testing positive for the coronavirus, a police union representative and the officer's wife said.

Officer Jack Nyce was a 17-year veteran of the force, the police department said in a statement on its Facebook page announcing his death.

Nyce served in a variety of assignments throughout his career, the statement said, adding that he is survived by many friends, co-workers and family members who "will miss him dearly."

Chief Bill Scott confirmed to NBC News in an email Friday that Nyce, whom he described as a "widely respected colleague," died Saturday. He said Nyce was 47.

Scott declined to comment about Nyce's cause of death.

Nyce's wife, Melissa Nyce, told The San Francisco Chronicle that he had tested positive for the coronavirus last Tuesday and that his symptoms had become so serious that she called an ambulance to take him to a hospital on Saturday. She declined to say whether he was vaccinated against Covid-19 and said she was by his side when he died, according to the Chronicle.

She did not a return a request for an interview Friday. She told NBC Bay Area that her husband grew up in San Francisco and had served in the Army.

At the time of his death, Nyce was on administrative leave because he was not fully vaccinated by Nov. 1 as required by the city, according to Lt. Tracy McCray, vice president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, the Chronicle reported. San Francisco requires all employees of the city be vaccinated against Covid-19.

The San Francisco Police Officers Association did not immediately return requests for comment Friday.

As of Friday, 97.2 percent, or 2,738 members, of the San Francisco Police Department were in compliance with the city's vaccination requirement, while 2.8 percent, or 79 members, were not, a police department spokesperson said.

Far more law enforcement officers have died from Covid-19 than from any other work-related cause in 2020 and 2021, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.