FT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A South Florida police officer has died from complications related to COVID-19, police say.
According to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Officer Jennifer Sepot contracted COVID-19 and "experienced complications related to the virus," resulting in her death.
Officer Sepot started working for Fort Lauderdale Police in April 2017 and served in the Road Patrol Division, the department said.
She is survived by her husband and young child.
"We are asking everyone to keep the Sepot family and the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," the agency wrote Saturday on its Facebook.
According to the latest weekly report from the Florida Department of Health, 40,766 people in Florida have died after being diagnosed with COVID-19. A total of 2,877,214 COVID-19 cases have been reported since the state began tracking data in March 2020.
Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show the state has more than 85 percent of its inpatients beds in use. Of those, more than 27 percent of the inpatient beds and 49 percent of the ICU beds were being occupied by COVID patients, specifically. A total of 16,100 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Florida, according to HHS data.
People 12 and older are eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are authorized for people 18 up. All have been found to be effective against COVID-19, with a recent study finding two doses of the Pfizer vaccine offering 88-percent protection against infection caused by the delta variant.
Among people who have received a vaccine, the latest research shows infections are rare and for those who do experience symptoms, they tend to be mild.
Visit the Florida Department of Health's website to find a vaccine location near you.
