New York, Nov 6 (IANS): The latest Covid-19 infection rate on a seven-day average stood at 1.81 per cent in New York City, which was evidence that it was not seeing a second wave of the pandemic rolling in, said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"Now we find ourselves between 1.5 to 2 per cent on our seven-day rolling average. It's not a massive change, but it's worrisome and we have to deal with it," Xinhua news agency quoted the Mayor as saying on Thursday.

If a huge number of people were going into hospitals every day with a really high level of positivity, and the infection rate on a seven-day average was going past 2 to 3 per cent or even 4 per cent, "if all that's happening at once, that's when, you know, unfortunately you're facing a second wave", he added.

However, the Mayor tweeted on Thursday that "we've seen really concerning Covid-19 upticks in two ZIP codes on Staten Island (10305 and 10314). We're sending in a hyperlocal response".

"If you live in those neighbourhoods, help win this fight. Wear masks, practice social distancing, and get tested," he added.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University reported 33,569 coronavirus deaths so far in New York State, the worst in the country.

New York City is the most populous city in the US.