San Francisco police officer, 47, who was on leave after missing city's vaccine deadline, 'dies fighting Covid within four days of testing positive': He served for 17 years and 'loved being a cop,' wife says

 A police officer put on leave by the San Francisco Police Department earlier this month for missing the city's November 1 vaccination deadline died battling COVID-19 on Saturday after being stricken with the virus just days earlier.

Officer Jack Nyce, 47, a 17-year-veteran of the department, died November 6 after testing positive for the virus four days prior, his wife Melissa Nyce told The San Francisco Chronicle on Monday.

'He loved being a cop,' Melissa told the outlet, adding that she had not taken a COVID-19 test after her husband's passing.

She also revealed that she was by her husband's side throughout the four-day ordeal until he succumbed to COVID-related complications in a San Francisco hospital. She declined to tell the paper whether her husband had been vaccinated or not.

The vice president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, Lt. Tracy McCray, said Monday that Jack Nyce was on a 30-day stint of paid administrative leave after failing to meet the vaccination requirement for city employees by the November 1 deadline. 

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Officer Jack Nyce, 47, a 17-year-veteran of the department, died on November 6 after testing positive for COVID four days earlier

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Nyce was memorialized by his fellow San Francisco officers after his sudden passing on November 6 - days after he was put on unpaid leave by the force for failing to meet the city's vaccine requirement for civic workers by the November 1 deadline

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San Francisco officers were required to provide proof of vaccination by the city's November 1 deadline or face being put on paid - and eventually, unpaid - leave

The day after the deadline, on his first day of leave on November 2, Jack Nyce tested positive for the virus, his wife told The Chronicle. 

Within four days, on November 6, the off-duty officer's symptoms grew so severe that an ambulance had to be called to the couple's San Francisco residence, and Jack Nyce had to be carted off to a nearby hospital, with his wife in tow.

He died that day at the hospital, his wife said, adding that she was at his bedside when he passed.   

In a statement released Monday and provided to DailyMail.com on Wednesday, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott described Jack as a 'widely respected colleague' - but declined to divulge what caused the officer's death. 

'It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that Officer Jack Nyce passed away on Saturday. He was 47 years old,' Scott said. 'A widely respected colleague most recently assigned to Park Station, Jack served our City and our department honorably and well for more than 17 years, in roles that included a variety of assignments. 

'I will share more information about plans for his remembrance as they become available. In the interim, please keep Jack, his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.'

'At this time, we are not commenting further about the cause of death.'   

A source, however, told local outlet KTVU that the officer died from complications relating to COVID.

In a separate statement that same day, Tony Montoya, president of the San Francisco Police Union, further eulogized the late officer. 

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According to the city, approximately 98% of its employees were vaccinated against COVID as of the end of October

'We honor the 17 years of service Officer Jack Nyce gave to the San Francisco Police Department and the people we serve,' Montoya said. 

'Our heartfelt condolences go out to Jack’s wife, family, and friends.'

'This is a sad time for our department. Jack leaves a void that will be difficult to fill,' he added.

The police union also did not disclose whether or not Nyce had gotten vaccinated before contracting the virus.

While Nyce was suspended after failing to meet the November 1 deadline put in place for city employees, the city’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy said that employees in high-risk settings, which specifically includes police officers, were required to receive the vaccine by October 13. 

Other city employees who had received just one dose of a two-dose vaccine by November 1 will have until December 6 to prove that they are fully vaccinated, the policy adds. 

On October 19, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a tweet that the requirement that city workers, including police, get vaccinated was issued in July, and that employees who did not meet the deadline would be suspended without pay. 

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On October 19, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a tweet that the requirement that city workers, including police, get vaccinated was issued in July, and that employees who did not meet the deadline would be suspended without pay

Jack Nyce's death comes as mandates for government employee vaccinations continue to stir controversy across the country.

The San Francisco Police Department said last week that as many as 70 sworn and civilian workers had been placed on leave for not meeting the aforementioned deadline. 

A press release from the police department further detailed that as of November 2, nearly 98 percent of its employees were fully vaccinated.

According to the department, officers who remain unvaccinated by November 13 will have the status of their administrative leave changed from paid to unpaid, until the San Francisco Police Commission convenes a hearing.