A San Francisco police officer died of COVID-19 while he was on leave for not meeting the city's vaccination requirement

• A San Francisco policeman died of COVID-19 while on leave for missing the city's vaccine deadline.
• Officer Jack Nyce, a 17-year veteran on the force, tested positive last week. He died Saturday.

A San Francisco police officer died of COVID-19 while he was on leave for not being vaccinated by the city's vaccine requirement deadline, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Officer Jack Nyce, who was with the department for 17 years, tested positive for COVID-19 on November 2, his wife Melissa Nyce told the Chronicle.

He started experiencing more severe symptoms going into the weekend, prompting his wife to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital on Saturday, where he died later that day. Melissa Nyce declined to confirm to the Chronicle if her husband was vaccinated.

"He loved being a cop," she told the Chronicle.

In a statement posted to Facebook earlier this week, the San Francisco Police Department confirmed his death on November 6, saying the 17-year veteran of the department "served in a variety of assignments throughout his career."

"He leaves behind many friends, co-workers, and family members that will miss him dearly," the department wrote in the statement. "Thank you for your service to our city Jack Nyce, you will never be forgotten."

Earlier this year, San Francisco became the first major US city to require COVID-19 vaccinations for city workers, including police officers. The policy required city employees to be vaccinated by November 1.

In a press release, the SFPD announced that, as of November 2, 97.5% of the department staff - 2,747 out of 2,817 - were fully vaccinated, according to a report by the Associated Press. Nearly 200 SFPD staffers - the highest of any city department - requested religious exemption from getting the vaccine in September, The Chronicle reported.

"Any officers who remain unvaccinated by Nov. 13 will be placed on unpaid administrative leave until the San Francisco Police Commission convenes a hearing," The Washington Post reported.

Police Lt. Tracy McCray, vice president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, told the Chronicle that Nyce was on paid administrative leave for a 30-day period at the time of his death.

"There has been no word on any Police Commission hearings regarding terminating an officer," McCray said.

Representatives from the San Francisco Police Officers Association did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.