ALBANY, N.Y. (WNYT) – A legionella outbreak has turned deadly at a senior living facility in Albany. 20 people are hospitalized after ten people have tested positive for legionaries at the Peregrine Senior Living Facility at Shaker since last Friday according to the Albany County Department of Health.  

Three of those ten people who tested positive have died.

An 89-year-old woman was hospitalized after she tested positive. Her daughter spoke to NewsChannel 13.

“They called 911 because my mom looked very ill and wasn’t breathing well,” the daughter said.

The daughter said her mother is now out of the hospital and is at a rehab center, still dealing with the after effects of legionaries with pneumonia.

The daughter also told NewsChannel 13 that Peregrine put up a picture inside residents’ apartments at their facility on Shaker telling residents not to use the water.

“No drinking out of the faucet, no shower. Only brush your teeth with bottled water,” Herrmann said. “A lot of residents don’t have the memory to remember not to do these things.”

Mary Rozak released a statement to NewsChannel 13 from the Albany County Department of Health today saying that they “have taken water samples at Peregrine and done testing. Legionella bacteria was present in some samples and further testing is being done on those samples. Peregrine has installed water filters so that some showers and bathrooms are available for use.”

The New York State Department of Health also made a statement on the outbreak today.

“State and County health officials have been on site to collect environmental water samples, which are being tested at the State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center, and Peregrine has posted signage, implemented water restrictions, and installed shower filters at the facility,” the department said.