Correction officer Cherrelle Davis says she has severe lung disease caused by COVID-19. She says she contracted the virus from a detainee in the city's jail system. She now uses an oxygen tank to help her breathe.  

"I just walked up those steps and I have my tank here and this is how I get around," says Davis. "It doesn't take much for me to get winded."

The 13-year correction veteran says she spent four days in intensive care back in March of 2020. She has been a medically monitored worker for more than a year and hasn't been around inmates at the Manhattan Detention Complex.

Earlier this month, the correction department announced officers had to work 12-hour shifts and it was beefing up staffing on Rikers Island. She was sent to Rikers. Veteran correction officer Henry Nelson could not believe what he was seeing.  

"When she came into my facility, I was shocked," says Nelson. "I have never seen in my whole term, I have never seen an officer walk into a facility with an oxygen tank. I was flabbergasted."  

He complained that it was unsafe for Davis to be on Rikers with inmates, where violence is common and a fire was started last month. Now, Davis has been placed on sick leave, something she wasn't expecting and didn't ask for.

Davis says she doesn't mind working a desk job at an administrative location. Being out sick means she must stay in her home with few exceptions. Davis feels it's a form of retaliation and says there's been very little support from supervisors.

She recalls one captain saying she was faking and an assistant deputy warden told her no one cares about her medical condition. She described that as heartbreaking with everything she's going through, including a potential lung transplant.

"My lungs are so scarred," she says. 

The single mom fears the worse and so does her little daughter. She became emotional recalling a conversation with her child.

"She wakes up saying that if I was to die, that she would want to die with me," Davis says. "At five years old, I had to sit down and explain to my daughter, 'If something was to happen to mommy, where would you want to live?'"

The 37-year-old showed a letter from her doctor at NYU that reads, "Ms. Cherrelle Davis has advanced lung disease with significant limitation." It also says she has a comprised immune system.  

"I don't have a problem with showing my medical records at all," says Davis.

In a statement, the Correction Department says her case is still under review. It goes on to say, “We value the service of all our personnel who have sacrificed and worked to keep our facilities safe throughout the pandemic. Our primary goal is to have our personnel return to full duty after being afforded every opportunity to completely heal.”

"I wish I would have just stayed home from the time they said autoimmuned people should not be outside," Davis says.