A detective with the New York Police Department (NYPD) died from the coronavirus Saturday, the first sworn member of the department to be killed by the highly infectious virus.

Cedric Dixon, who served with the NYPD for 23 years, was assigned to the 32nd Precinct in Harlem and died at a hospital in the Bronx, officials said. More than 500 of the NYPD’s employees are currently battling the virus.

"He was known as the person that would do anything to help you," Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said at a news conference on Saturday. "He’s going to be so sorely missed."

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“We will continue to stand side-by-side with New York City Police Officers in unity, as we share the core mission of keeping our City and its residents safe. We extend our deepest sympathies to the entire police community, the Officer’s family and loved ones during this very difficult time,” added President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association Gerard Fitzgerald.

The news of the death comes a day after the NYPD reported that more than 500 of its members have tested positive for COVID-19, including 442 uniformed officers and 70 civilian members. Another 4,111 NYPD uniformed employees were on sick leave, accounting for 11.4 percent of the department’s uniformed workforce.

The NYPD also announced that Dennis Dickson, a janitor with the force, and Giacomina Barr-Brown, a civilian employee of the department, have died from the virus.

"We have lost three members of our family in as little as 48 hours," Shea said Saturday. "As I stand here, I cannot begin to describe what we are feeling. What the families of these three heroes are feeling. We are hurting. We are crying. And we continue to fight. We simply have no other choice."

New York City has emerged as the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., accounting for nearly 30,000 of the nation’s roughly 116,500 confirmed cases.