New York, Nov 11 (IANS): The COVID-19 infection rate on 7-day average in New York City was 2.31 percent, up from 2.21 percent one day earlier, tweeted Mayor Bill de Blasio.

On Monday, the mayor hinted that a second wave of the coronavirus might be on the way, saying that "Citywide positivity rate is now above 2 per cent. We're seeing community spread."

"We can stop a second wave of #COVID-19 in New York City, but we have to act NOW," he said on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The mayor once said that 3 per cent of infection rate on 7-day average was the mark to certify an arrival of a second wave of the pandemic.

"With the holidays around the corner, we can't get complacent. We can't risk uncontrolled COVID-19 spread. We don't want another citywide shutdown," said the mayor on Monday.

"I know how hard this will be. I know it's a major sacrifice. But we need to keep our city safe," he added.

Up to Monday, there had been 24,085 coronavirus deaths and 272,375 confirmed cases in New York City, according to The City, a project that tracks the spread of confirmed COVID-19 infections and fatalities in New York City, based on information provided by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the governor's office, The COVID Tracking Project and the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.