76 UES Buildings Test Positive For Legionella: See New List

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — New York City health officials said Tuesday that 76 buildings have cooling towers that have tested positive for Legionella bacteria in a PCR test on the Upper East Side, up from the 31 buildings confirmed last week.

Officials have released the 45 addresses of the buildings newly added to the list. Several private schools, including Spence and Dalton, are on the new list, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

So far, 57 of these 76 total cooling towers have already been disinfected, and the remaining 19 will be remediated by Thursday, officials from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said during a press briefing Wednesday.

Importantly, PCR screening tests do not confirm whether the bacterial infection is active, but they confirm that the bacteria's DNA is in the water. A second test, which can take up to two weeks, will confirm where the outbreak is coming from.

The list isn't expected to get any longer, officials said.

"We expect this to be the complete list of buildings ordered to clean and disinfect their towers," Dr. Alister Martin, the city health commissioner, said of the 76 buildings. "Confirmatory culture testing, which identifies live bacteria that can cause illness, is still ongoing."

Anty of these buildings could be the source of the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that emerged on July 2 and has been concentrated in ZIP codes 10028, 10128 and 10075. The health department tested 183 cooling towers in the neighborhood.

This past Friday, the city confirmed that 31 buildings, including the Guggenheim Museum and Asphalt Green, tested positive and were ordered to disinfect and drain their cooling towers. All 31 of those cooling towers have since been fully remediated.

As of Tuesday morning, 60 people are sickened by Legionnaires' disease on the Upper East Side. Fifteen people remain hospitalized, while 34 have been discharged and are recovering at home. Eleven others were not hospitalized, officials said.

"We are now seeing significantly fewer new cases. Yesterday, we identified just one new case," Martin told press on Wednesday.

Legionnaires’ disease, a type of pneumonia, is caused by bacteria called Legionella that thrive in humid environments, such as cooling towers, which cycle warm air through water.

The disease spreads by inhaling contaminated mist, officials said. Drinking tap water, showering, and using the air conditioner are all safe, officials said.

Upper East Siders experiencing flu-like symptoms — such as fever, cough, or difficulty breathing — should contact a healthcare provider immediately.

Below are the addresses of the 45 new buildings on the list.

Buildings with a positive PCR test result that have been fully disinfected:

• 1130 FIFTH AVENUE
• 1150 MADISON AVENUE (Butterfield Market)
• 1239 MADISON AVENUE
• 1275 MADISON AVENUE (Citi Bank)
• 1020 PARK AVENUE
• 1157 LEXINGTON AVENUE (All Souls NYC)
• 1755 YORK AVENUE
• 60 EAST END AVENUE
• 188 EAST 78TH STREET
• 200 EAST 78TH STREET
• 124 EAST 79TH STREET
• 201 EAST 79TH STREET (Chase Bank)
• 211 EAST 79TH STREET (Upper East Side Rehabilitation and Nursing Center)
• 511 EAST 80TH STREET
• 444 EAST 82ND STREET
• 500 EAST 83RD STREET
• 7 EAST 86TH STREET
• 401 EAST 86TH STREET (Duane Reade)
• 444 EAST 86TH STREET
• 445 EAST 86TH STREET
• 51 EAST 87TH STREET
• 9 EAST 90TH STREET (Tarallucci e Vino at Cooper Hewitt)
• 410 EAST 92ND STREET (Courtyard by Marriott New York Manhattan/Upper East Side)
• 40 EAST 94TH STREET
• 300 EAST 83RD STREET

Buildings with a positive PCR test that are ordered to complete remediation by Thursday:

• 980 FIFTH AVENUE
• 1000 FIFTH AVENUE (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
• 920 PARK AVENUE
• 1249 PARK AVENUE
• 1025 MADISON AVENUE
• 1381 LEXINGTON AVENUE
• 1513 FIRST AVENUE (Agata & Valentina)
• 1520 YORK AVENUE
• 80 EAST END AVENUE
• 90 EAST END AVENUE
• 100 EAST END AVENUE (The Chapin School)
• 155 EAST 79TH STREET
• 40 EAST 80TH STREET
• 25 EAST 83RD STREET
• 13 EAST 84TH STREET
• 40 EAST 84TH STREET
• 108 EAST 89TH STREET (The Dalton School)
• 22 EAST 91ST STREET (The Spence School)
• 200 EAST 95TH STREET
• 235 EAST 95TH STREET

This is a developing story and will be updated. For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.