Across police departments in Miami-Dade County, over 100 officers have tested positive for the coronavirus, with some in need of plasma donations.
“My biggest concern for them is safety. Their personal safety and their family’s safety," said Miami-Dade Police director Freddy Ramirez.
As police officers work in the community during this pandemic, Ramirez says the virus has hit his department, with 120 of his officers testing positive.
"Right now about 120 officers as of this last wave that we’ve had since about June, where we’ve seen a spike," he said.
In Miami Beach, 33 officers are off work due to the virus. Thirteen have tested positive and the rest are in quarantine waiting for their results.
"Just like everybody else, the numbers have shown that within our department we’re seeing the same spike," said Matt Reyes, the vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police for the City of Miami's department. "We have several officers that currently have it."
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Officers are among those on the front lines, which can put them at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19.
"We go in there kind of blind," Reyes said. "We have no idea … where that person has been, who they’ve been dealing with, whether they’ve been wearing a mask or gloves or any of the above."
After a plea to the public, officers from Homestead and the City of Miami received their convalescent plasma matches and are in good spirits at the hospital.
Anyone who has recovered from COVID-19 is encouraged to donate plasma to help current patients. You can go to One Blood to donate, and hospitals across Miami-Dade and Broward are taking donations as well. One plasma donation can possibly help more than one patient.
