The New York City Police Department (NYPD) reported its second death due to the new CCP virus from China as over 500 employees test positive and more than 4,000 workers have called out sick.
Giacomina Barr-Brown, a civilian employee who worked for the department for seven years, died at her home earlier in the week, the department announced on Friday.
“It is with great sadness that the New York City Police Department announces the death of another member of our family stemming from the coronavirus pandemic,” the NYPD said in a statement.
Barr-Brown helped arrange assignments at the 49th Precinct Roll Call Office in the borough of the Bronx.
Dennis Dickson, a custodial assistant employed by the NYPD for 14 years who was working out of the police headquarters in the borough of Manhattan, was the department’s first death from the new virus.
The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China before it was transmitted worldwide.
A statement described Dickson as “a revered member of the custodial staff at police headquarters, once spending 17 days at the headquarters building during Super Storm Sandy assisting with emergency cleanup operations.”
More than 500 employees tested positive for the CCP virus as of Friday, including 442 officers, officials said. The NYPD also saw more than 4,000 workers call in sick during the week.
The Fire Department of New York is also dealing with the new illness; 206 members tested positive as of Friday, with more than 2,300 calling in sick.
New York state has the highest number of cases in the nation. The bulk are in New York City.
Nearly 27,000 cases were confirmed as of Friday afternoon, according to the city’s Department of Health. About 5,000 of those patients have been hospitalized at one time or another. Eighty-two percent of those ever hospitalized for COVID-19 are 65 or older.
The death toll in the city from the illness, which originated in China last year, rose to 450. None of those deaths were among those 17 or younger while 326 of them were among those 65 or older.
Another 104 patients between the ages of 45 and 64 died as did 20 between the ages of 18 to 44.
The majority of patients who died had underlying illnesses.
COVID-19 primarily causes serious illness or death in elderly patients or those with underlying health conditions or compromised immune systems.
Protecting Against COVID-19
There is no vaccine or proven treatment, but scores of patients have gotten better through rest, supportive care, and treatment of symptoms.
Symptoms are similar to the flu and include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
The CCP virus is believed to spread primarily from person to person between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
“These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts recommend preventative measures including frequently washing hands, avoiding sick people, and wearing a mask and gloves when leaving your home.
Sick people should stay home and call their doctor or healthcare authorities.
