Updated
Updated · NBC New York · Jul 11
NYC Releases 31 Legionella-Linked Buildings as Upper East Side Cases Rise to 54
Updated
Updated · NBC New York · Jul 11

NYC Releases 31 Legionella-Linked Buildings as Upper East Side Cases Rise to 54

3 articles · Updated · NBC New York · Jul 11

Summary

  • 31 Upper East Side buildings with Legionella-positive cooling towers were identified by the Mamdani administration, with 19 already drained and disinfected and 12 ordered to finish cleanup by Saturday.
  • 54 people have now been sickened in the outbreak, up from 46 a day earlier, and 18 are hospitalized; officials said no deaths have been reported.
  • More than 180 cooling towers have been sampled across ZIP codes 10075, 10028 and 10128, and the list could grow as testing continues.
  • 1071 Fifth Avenue—the Guggenheim Museum—was among the remediated sites; the museum said it acted after an initial PCR result and that the city required no further action.
  • Health officials said the positive tests do not yet show which tower caused exposure because current results cannot distinguish live from dead bacteria, a point at the center of criticism over whether the city should disinfect more towers immediately.

Insights

New York is now a 'subtropical climate'. Are deadly Legionnaires' outbreaks the city's new summer normal?
A city test finds Legionella, but a private one doesn't. Who should residents and building owners trust?