NYC health officials announced a seventh death tied to the Central Harlem Legionnaires’ disease outbreak Thursday, with the person having died earlier in the month during the city health department’s ongoing investigation.
As of Aug. 28, there have been seven deaths and 114 people sickened since the outbreak started on July 25.
There have been no new cases among people who live and work in the affected area since Aug. 9, health officials said, meaning the cluster can be considered ended.
Acting Health Commissioner Michelle Morse addressed the death in an X post.
“@nycHealthy has identified another person who died before mid-August is associated with the Central Harlem Legionnaires’ disease cluster.”
Morse also shared positive news about remediation efforts on the social media platform.
“Epidemiological evidence continues to show remediation efforts have been effective.”
Six people remain in the hospital, but in the past month, more than 90 people have been hospitalized, Morse said.
In total, health officials said 90 people were hospitalized throughout the duration of the outbreak, which went back to late July, with six remaining hospitalized.
On Friday, city health officials declared the outbreak officially over.
New York City health officials declared the Harlem Legionnaires’ disease outbreak over a day after revealing a seventh associated death as the patient count ticked up slightly.
Morse addressed the grim milestone while announcing an end to the crisis.
“While today marks a hopeful step forward for our city, I know we are also grieving,” acknowledged Morse. “After an extensive investigation, we were able to identify two cooling towers that had a genetic match with patient specimens. We are working with building owners on next steps to protect the health and safety of Harlem residents and to prevent future clusters.”
At least 90% of those infected had a known risk factor like being over 50, smoking, living with a chronic condition or compromised immune system, according to officials.
Investigations pinpointed two specific sources after genetic testing.
The two buildings with contaminated cooling towers are NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, which is located at 506 Lenox Ave., and a construction site for a public health laboratory at 40 West 137th St. overseen by Skanska USA, contracted by New York City’s Economic Development Corporation.
Morse said both sites would now require long-term safety measures.
“We are working with both buildings to require them to develop long-term management programs to protect the health of Harlem residents,” Morse said. “At the health department, we’re doing everything we can to promote compliance by building owners with the requirements to minimize risk and avert future clusters.”
Legionella bacteria recovered from cooling towers at both Harlem Hospital and a construction site leased by the city’s Economic Development Corp. have been genetically matched to cases of the Legionnaire’s community cluster.
The construction site tower had never been registered with the city.
In its inspection of the construction site’s cooling tower, the health department found no records of routine monitoring, disinfection or water treatment and issued violations, according to the agency’s report.
NYC Health and Hospitals, the agency that oversees the facility, said hospital staff interpreted the readings as normal and that they were not required to do weekly rapid testing, despite it being part of the facility’s own maintenance plan that building owners are mandated to follow, according to New York City’s health code.
Skanska did not provide details on timing or prior testing.
“Due to pending litigation, we cannot discuss the specifics related to this issue. However, Skanska has worked in close coordination with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to facilitate the disinfection of the cooling tower at the building currently under construction at 40 West 137th Street,” said spokesman Christopher McKniff. “Throughout this process, the DOHMH has monitored our efforts ensuring full compliance with their protocols.”
Construction workers sickened by the outbreak have filed lawsuits.
“I can’t have a safe place to work? This is New York City,” Nunzio Quinto, a Nassau County electrician working at the site who was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, told reporters after he filed a lawsuit against Skanska USA, alleging that the company did not ensure safe working conditions.
In the viral moment beginning late July in Central Harlem, cooling towers at city-owned Harlem Hospital and a nearby construction site for a new public health laboratory began releasing water vapor contaminated with Legionella bacteria.
The outbreak was first reported July 25 and was later traced back to 12 cooling towers at 10 buildings in Central Harlem, including Harlem Hospital and three other city-run buildings.
Residents began developing pneumonia-like symptoms, and
over the last three weeks, a total of 114 cases were identified, 90 people were hospitalized and seven people died.
Health officials said all of the towers were drained and disinfected by mid-August.
Morse announced a package of policy reforms aimed at preventing future outbreaks on Friday morning.