Corona pandemic
The number of deaths in the US police force has risen dramatically. The most common cause: Covid-19
A policewoman is vaccinated against corona at the Englewood Health Center, New Jersey
© Seth Wenig / DPA
In the United States, a record number of police officers died while on duty or as a result of their duties. By far the most fatalities were caused by the corona virus.
The USA is one of the countries hardest hit by the corona pandemic. Of its 330 million inhabitants have according to the Johns Hopkins University so far more than 62.3 million people have been infected with Sars-CoV-2. More than 842,000 infected people died. According to the CDC, only 62.6 percent of the population are fully vaccinated, 36.5 percent have received a booster vaccination so far.
The corona crisis is particularly hard on the US law enforcement authorities. According to one based on preliminary data Study by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), a non-profit organization aiming to increase public support for the police profession, the number of officers who lost their lives while performing their duties increased by 55 percent over the past year – and as The study names Covid-19 as the most common cause of death.
65 percent more corona deaths among the US police
According to the information, a total of 458 federal, state, tribal and local police died in 2021 while on duty or because of their service. That is 163 more than in the previous year and the most fatalities in the past 51 years listed in the statistics. According to the study, 301 of the deaths were caused by a corona infection, an increase of 65 percent compared to 2020.
“It was reported to the NLEOMF that these officials died from direct exposure to the virus while performing their official duties,” the report said. “This year’s statistic shows America’s frontline law enforcement officers continue to fight the deadly effects of the Covid-19 pandemic across the country.”
Gregory Countryman, Sheriff of Muscogee County in the US state of Georgia, shares this impression: “We are not only fighting with the criminals, but also with the virus that is rampant out there.” he told the US broadcaster CBS News. In his district, barely more than 40 percent of the residents are vaccinated and Covid-19 is spreading ever further.
Police unions against compulsory corona vaccination
In Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott banned all public and private entities from requiring vaccinations for employees or visitors, 84 officials died of Covid-19, most across the country. In second place was Florida (52), followed by Georgia (39), California (24) and North Carolina (21). There were no corona-related deaths in eleven states and Washington, DC, according to the report.
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The NLEOMF report does not provide any information on how many of the deceased police officers were vaccinated. Police union representatives across the country spoke out against vaccination regulations. New York City’s largest police union announced in September that it would take legal action to defend its “right to make such personal medical decisions”.
The widow of a Philadelphia police officer who died of Covid-19 on March 3, just days before his scheduled primary vaccination, said last year the US broadcaster NBC Newsthat she was “really disappointed” with the unions’ attitude towards vaccination. “I wish they would see it as another means of protection,” she explained. “And I wish they would see the vaccine as a way to protect and serve the people they work with.”
Sources: Johns Hopkins University, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, CBS News, NBC News