Coronavirus Update: Gov. Cuomo Announces Plan To Get More First Responders Tested As NYPD Mourns Loss Of More Than Two Dozen Members
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday his plan to get more first responders tested for COVID-19.
This comes as at least 27 members of the NYPD have succumbed to the virus.
RELATED STORY: NYPD Remembers Officers Lost To COVID-19
CBS2's Ali Bauman spoke to Det. Kevin Fulham, who is mourning the loss of his former partner Det. Raymond Abear.
"He had this amazing ability to make you feel connected," Fulham said.
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Abear was the very first person that Fulham met at the Queens Special Victims Unit.
"Before I walked through the door, I just heard this voice, and that's what he was. He was loud and he was funny," Fulham said.
Abear had been on the force nearly two decades, but he welcomed his new partner and took Fulham under his wing.
"He would never eat lunch inside or in the car. He would wanna sit on a park bench, he'd wanna feel the wind. Even on rainy days, he would wanna sit outside and have lunch. It would drive us crazy sometimes, but I loved him for it and I miss him terribly," Fulham said.
On Monday, Fulham got the phone call that Abear had died at the hospital from coronavirus.
"Moments like those, I'm sure most people realize time sorta stops," Fulham said.
Abear was 43 years old. He's survived by his wife, their 2-year-old son and 5-month-old daughter.
He's one of at least 27 members of the NYPD to die from COVID-19 -- from lieutenants, to sergeants, to school safety agents.
To date, more than 2,800 members have been diagnosed with the disease.
In Harlem, some NYPD officers are now getting screened for COVID-19 as they report to work.
The officers are checked for high temperatures and other symptoms before they walk in the door.
CORONAVIRUS: NY Health Dept. | NY Call 1-(888)-364-3065 | NYC Health Dept. | NYC Call 311, Text COVID to 692692 | NJ Health Dept. | NJ Call 1-(800)-222-1222 or 211, Text NJCOVID to 898211 | CT Health Dept. | CT Call 211
"They're out there every day," Cuomo said.
On Wednesday, the governor announced the state will prioritize first responders along with health care workers and other essential employees, as it begins conducting finger-prick antibody tests this week.
"They need to know if they've been infected. For themselves, and also they could wind up being spreaders if we don't know," Cuomo said.
On Tuesday, hundreds of officers lined a procession in salute of Det. Abear.
"He would go out of the way for anyone, and he instilled those feelings and those beliefs in everybody that he worked with, and now it's just up to us to continue that mindset," Fulham said.
Patrolling the city with their face masks secured and hearts heavy.
