G overnor Kathy Hochul defended New York City's response to the Legionnaires ' disease outbreak after officials on Tuesday confirmed the death toll had risen to five.

Rainwater left untreated in cooling towers atop city-owned Harlem Hospital fueled the Big Apple’s deadliest Legionnaire’s disease outbreak in a decade, the Rev. Al Sharpton charged Tuesday.

The bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease had been discovered in 12 cooling towers on 10 buildings, including a city-run hospital and sexual health clinic.

Four people have died as a result of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Harlem that has sickened nearly 100 people, and officials revealed the cooling towers that tested positive for the bacteria that causes the illness — some of which are at properties owned by New York City,

Gov. Kathy Hochul brushed off concerns about the city’s handling of Legionnaires’ disease prevention efforts on Tuesday after a fifth New Yorker died in an outbreak gripping Harlem.