Overview
- City Health Commissioner Alister Martin announced Friday that two additional deaths, diagnosed weeks earlier, bring the outbreak's death toll to nine.
- Officials said there have been no new diagnoses or symptoms in more than three weeks and that the source of the outbreak has been eliminated, though one person remains hospitalized.
- Health teams used rapid PCR screening followed by culture and whole‑genome sequencing to confirm live Legionella in many rooftop cooling towers and to link environmental samples to patients.
- The health department reported 92 confirmed cases as of late July and found nearly 60 towers that tested positive for live Legionella; buildings that tested positive were drained, cleaned and disinfected.
- The outbreak prompted new state rules requiring twice‑yearly tower certifications, faster remediation and stiffer penalties, and officials say ongoing reviews and possible enforcement actions will follow.