NEW YORK — Two more New Yorkers have died of Legionnaires' disease, raising the death toll from this summer's Upper East Side outbreak to eleven, as city officials say they have stopped the virus in its tracks.

NYC Health Commissioner Alister Martin announced the two additional deaths on X, while adding that "there is no evidence of ongoing transmission."

"The last diagnosis was more than six weeks ago," Martin said Friday. "We are deeply saddened by every life lost, and our hearts are with the families and loved ones who are grieving.

The additional deaths were linked to the city's Legionnaires' Disease cluster after the cluster was "closed," Martin said.

The summer outbreak resulted in 94 people contracting the disease. Out of that number, dozens of people were hospitalized, and 11 have died.

"There are now no patients hospitalized with this illness as part of this cluster — the last remaining patient has recovered and returned home," Martin said.

The cluster has been closed for four weeks, Martin said.

"The toll this outbreak has had on dozens of impacted families, and on our neighborhood as a whole, is truly devastating," added City Council Speaker Julie Menin. The Council, she said, will be holding a hearing on the outbreak on Wednesday.

"(We) will closely examine how this tragic outbreak occurred and what additional actions and policies are needed to better protect New Yorkers," she said.

The first cases in the outbreak of the disease, a severe form of pneumonia, were identified in the neighborhood on July 2.

Health officials believe the source of the bacteria has been eliminated since there have been no new reported cases in more than six weeks.

Shortly after the outbreak, Menin lashed out at Martin and Mayor Zohran Mamdani for, in her view, not taking more proactive steps in stopping its spread.

A screening of 160 buildings on the Upper East Side found Legionella bacteria, the microbe responsible for spreading the disease, in at least 77 cooling towers, including at the Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

All buildings that tested positive for the bacteria were ordered to undergo remediation, including cleaning and disinfecting the affected towers.

Although the disease has stopped spreading, Martin said that the Department of Health was still trying "to match samples from cooling towers with samples from patients."

"We expect those findings in September, and we will share them publicly," he said.

Most people exposed to the bacteria don't become sick. The disease is contracted by breathing in water vapor, not spread from person to person, officials said.

Symptoms typically develop between two to 14 days after exposure and include fever, chills, muscle aches, shortness of breath and coughing.
According to DOH, "It remains safe to shower, drink tap water and use air conditioners in the affected zip codes."

The disease is fatal in about 10% of cases and is most dangerous for those above age 50 or with compromised immune systems or chronic lung diseases.