New York, Dec 4 (IANS): New York City is expecting Covid-19 vaccine shipments as early as December 15 and the first batch will prioritize healthcare workers and nursing home residents, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

"We've been in a brutal battle with Covid-19, but this month the cavalry is coming... Over time we'll have enough (vaccine) for every New Yorker," Xinhua news agency quoted the Mayor as saying in a tweet on Thursday.

Also on Thursday, the NYC government announced that its Covid-19 infection rate on a seven-day average surpassed 5 per cent for the first time in months, reaching a new high of 5.19 per cent, compared with 4.8 per cent one day earlier.

The rate topped 3 per cent on November 18, has remained above the level ever since, and topped 4 per cent for the first time on Monday.

Three per cent is deemed by the municipal government as a threshold for a second wave of the pandemic.

So far, New York City has reported 24,305 coronavirus death and 321,053 cases.