UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Two more people have died in connection with the Legionnaires' disease outbreak on the Upper East Side, bringing the death toll to 11, New York City Health Department officials said.
"We are deeply saddened by every life lost, and our hearts are with the families and loved ones who are grieving," Dr. Alister Martin, the health commissioner, said in a statement on Friday.
According to the New York City Department of Health, the outbreak started on July 2 has now been linked to 94 cases of Legionnaires' disease and 11 deaths.
However, there is no evidence of ongoing transmission, as the last diagnosis was more than six weeks ago, Martin said.
"There are now no patients hospitalized with this illness as part of this cluster — the last remaining patient has recovered and returned home," Martin said. "But our work is not over. While the cluster has been closed for 4 weeks, our scientists continue working to match samples from cooling towers with samples from patients. We expect those findings in September, and we will share them publicly."
The outbreak has been concentrated in the Upper East Side ZIP codes 10028, 10075 and 10128, where the city spent the past month testing cooling towers and ordering the disinfection of those that screened positive for Legionella bacteria.
All of the towers that tested positive have since been sanitised. There have been no new cases since July 22.
"The toll this outbreak has had on dozens of impacted families, and on our neighborhood as a whole, is truly devastating," Council Speaker Julie Menin said.
For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.
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