Bengal on Wednesday logged the 24th straight day of a dip in its total active Covid-19 cases, by 344 to 12,984, back to below 13,000 for the first time since April 6, 99 days ago.

On Wednesday, the state reported 1,161 recoveries, 831 new infections and 14 deaths. With this, Bengal’s recovery rate rose to 97.96 per cent, the highest ever for the state since the onset of the pandemic. The national rate is 97.25 now.

With 78 new cases in Calcutta and 96 in North 24-Parganas, Wednesday was the seventh successive day since the second wave when none among Bengal’s 23 districts reported a three-digit figure of new infections. Twenty districts reported double-digit figures of new infections while South Dinajpur, Malda and Purulia single-digit figures.

The state’s daily positive confirmation rate, nearly 33 per cent at the peak of the second wave, was 1.5 per cent on Wednesday, indicating the shrink in Covid-19 spread.

Of the 17 deaths, two each were reported from Calcutta and North 24-Parganas. Fourteen Bengal districts reported zero deaths on Wednesday, while North Dinajpur, Birbhum, East and West Midnapore just one each. The state’s mortality rate is 1.18 per cent now, while that of the nation is 1.32.

The state’s active cases had declined till June 9 by around 89 per cent to 14,702, from the all-time high of 1,32,181 on May 21 during the second wave. But for 11 days till June 20, it had risen again by over 56 per cent, before falling by around 44 per cent again these 24 days.

Bengal now over 15.13 lakh Covid-19 cases since the first was detected in March 2020, including nearly 14.83 lakh recoveries and 17,958 deaths.