Overview
- The outbreak, first identified July 2, has sickened dozens of residents with reports rising to about 46 cases and roughly 22 people hospitalized as testing and surveillance expand.
- Health investigators say the most likely exposure is inhaling contaminated mist from one or more rooftop cooling towers and have sampled roughly 139–150 of about 160 registered towers in the zone.
- Initial rapid PCR screening has found multiple towers with genetic traces of Legionella, prompting immediate Commissioner’s Orders to drain, clean, and disinfect those systems.
- Officials will publish the addresses of buildings with PCR‑positive towers and stress that definitive links to illnesses require culture confirmation, a lab process that can take days to weeks.
- Residents are told tap water and indoor AC are safe, to seek prompt medical care for flu‑like or pneumonia symptoms, and to note the outbreak highlights gaps in recent cooling‑tower testing and inspection compliance.