July 31, 2026, 6:59 AM EDT
/ Source: NBC New York
By Tom Shea, NBC New York and Andrew Siff, NBC New York
New York City health officials confirmed a seventh death in connection to the Legionnaires’ outbreak on the Upper East Side, matching the number of lives lost in a similar outbreak in Harlem in 2025
The seventh death was announced Thursday evening, one of the six people who was still hospitalized from the illness, according to the Health Department. The silver lining of good news: Officials have repeatedly said no new cases had been found since July 21
As of Thursday, there were still five people in the hospital from Legionnaires’
Recently, those who live in the area have been vocal about the criticisms of the city’s response to the outbreak, saying preparations were not aggressive enough
“We are asking why didn’t we have more inspections,” said Valerie Mason, of Community Board 8 on the Upper East Side. “We think inspector’s should have been out earlier to make sure buildings were complying with the law.”
But city health officials have insisted they have been proactive. As NBC New York reported Wednesday, 110 violations were issued to building owners for failing to comply with rules for cooling tower maintenance
One such violator was 300 East 83rd Street, which is accused of failing to register its cooling tower, according to the city. The building was also issued 10 other violations, with fines of $11,000
The owner of the building did not immediately respond to a request for comment
Some in the neighborhood continue to feel concerned, especially given that it is the second straight year of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Manhattan. The cluster in Harlem in Summer 2025 claimed seven lives as well
That outbreak motivated city lawmakers to pass a new bill requiring cooling tower inspections every 30 days
In all, 92 people have been sickened with Legionnaires’ disease as a result of the Upper East Side cluster
There had been 82 cooling towers test positive for the Legionella bacteria as of Wednesday. The Health Department has said it tested more than 180 cooling towers in the area. Officials said all the towers have since been cleaned and disinfected
