12 NYPD members died from COVID-19 as cases continue to rise across US

New York Police Department (NYPD) lost its 12th member to the COVID-19 pandemic on April 5 amid the exponential rise in the death toll in the United States. New York City Police Commissioner announced the death of Ramon Roman, an Auxiliary Police Officer, who succumbed to the deadly infection.

New York has become one of the hotspots of the virus outbreak in the United States with over 130,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, which is more than any other country except Italy and Spain. Police have been working at the frontline to ensure the implementation of stay-at-home orders but remain vulnerable to the exposure.

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Scarcity of PPE

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a major public health crisis around the world and health care workers at the frontline are bearing the brunt of resource crunch. The scarcity of personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks, gloves, and hazmat suits has kept the health care workers vulnerable to exposure.

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According to the latest report, over 1.3 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide with nearly 75,000 deaths, overwhelming the health care facilities across the globe. The United States, Italy, and Spain are the worst-hit countries due to the pandemic with over 50 per cent of death toll reported from these three countries alone.

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(Image Credit: AP)