NYC not seeing 2nd wave of COVID-19: mayor

NEW YORK, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The latest COVID-19 infection rate on 7-day average stood at 1.81 percent in New York City, which was the proof that it was not seeing a second wave of the pandemic rolling in, said Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday during his regular press briefing.

"Now we find ourselves between 1.5 to two percent on our seven-day rolling average. It's not a massive change, but it's worrisome and we have to deal with it," said the mayor.

If a huge number of people were going into hospitals every day with a really high level of positivity for COVID-19, and the infection rate on a seven-day average was going past two percent to three percent or even four percent, "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 neighborhoods, 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 United States.