As Ohio police officers and the state’s chief officer continue to urge police officers to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccinations, the greater Cincinnati area mourns the loss of a deputy sheriff who died after contracting the virus. Donald Gilreath, deputy sheriff in Hamilton County III, died Friday of COVID-19 complications after working in prison during the pandemic, according to the sheriff’s office. Gilreath was a 15-year veteran of the department, husband and father of three children. “Cops can’t work from home. They don’t have the ability to socialize,” said Dave Yost, Ohio attorney general. “Governor, act. We have to do this now.” Yost pointed out that the coronavirus was the leading cause of death among law enforcement agencies in 2020. He’s been pushing the governor publicly and privately on the issue for weeks and even sent him a formal letter in January: “It’s important to reopen schools. I see, but we have teachers who were vaccinated in this port. It was me not used in school the whole year and had no contact with people, “said Yost. “It seems to me that if you have a job that requires you to interact in public with people who may be infected, they should possibly be a higher priority.” The Cincinnati Police Department, the largest in Hamilton County, was unable to provide the number of officers contracted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The department said 240 have taken administrative leave due to COVID-19 issues, including infections and quarantines. The department’s FOP president Dan Hils said dozens of officials contracted the virus and some had been hospitalized. He said unlike many other jobs, police officers often have more pressing safety concerns than taking the time to put on personal protective equipment. “We have other tactical concerns … we might be concerned about being injured in other ways,” he said. “Unlike teachers, there is no way to add to a troubled family. We can’t add to an ongoing bank robbery.” WLWT contacted the governor’s office on Friday evening. The press secretary expressed condolences to Gilreath’s family and the entire Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. The press secretary said law enforcement was making an extremely compelling case as to why the police should be vaccinated next, and this news like that of Gilreath’s death makes the case even worse compelling. However, the governor’s office said it was a supply and demand problem and it was prioritizing those most at risk and at risk, namely elderly Ohioans. When asked how educators fit in, the governor’s spokesman said the decision to vaccinate teachers and school staff was not a risk-based decision but a decision to help another vulnerable population, the children, by making a safe return to the school Instruction was assured.
HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio –
As Ohio police officers and the state’s chief officer continue to urge police officers to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccinations, the greater Cincinnati area mourns the loss of a deputy sheriff who died after contracting the virus.
Hamilton County Sheriff Deputy Donald Gilreath III He died of complications from COVID-19 on Friday after working in prison during the pandemic, according to the sheriff’s office. Gilreath was a 15-year veteran of the department, husband and father of three children.
“Cops can’t work from home. They don’t have the ability to socialize,” said Dave Yost, Ohio attorney general. “Governor, act. We have to do this now.”
Yost pointed out that the coronavirus was the leading cause of death among law enforcement agencies in 2020. He’s been pushing the governor publicly and privately on the issue for weeks and even sent him a formal letter in January.
“It is important to reopen schools. I understand, but we have vaccinated teachers who have not worked in school all year and have no contact with people,” said Yost. “It seems to me that if you have a job that requires you to interact in public with people who may be infected, they should possibly be a higher priority.”
The Cincinnati Police Department, the largest in Hamilton County, has been unable to count the number of officers who received COVID-19 during the pandemic. The department said 240 have taken administrative leave due to COVID-19 issues, including infections and quarantines.
The department’s FOP president Dan Hils said dozens of officials contracted the virus and some had been hospitalized. He said unlike many other jobs, police officers often have more pressing safety concerns than taking the time to put on personal protective equipment.
“We have other tactical concerns … we might be worried about being injured in other ways,” he said. “Unlike teachers, there is no way to grow a family in trouble. We cannot enlarge an ongoing bank robbery.”
WLWT reached the governor’s office on Friday evening. The press secretary expressed condolences to Gilreath’s family and the entire Hamilton County Sheriff’s office.
The press secretary said law enforcement is an extremely compelling argument for why the police should be vaccinated next, and that news like the one about Gilreath’s death make the case even more convincing. However, the governor’s office said it was a supply and a demand and that it was prioritizing the most vulnerable and vulnerable, namely the elderly Ohioans.
When asked how educators fit in, the governor’s spokesman said the decision to vaccinate teachers and school staff was not a risk-based decision, but a decision to help another vulnerable population, the children, by making a safe return to the country Teaching is ensured.
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