Bengal’s active Covid-19 cases fell to below 8,000 on Sunday, to 7,881, as the state reported a drop in the total number of existing patients for the 76th consecutive day, since Vijaya Dashami on October 26.

With 957 recoveries, 823 infections and 19 deaths logged on Sunday, the state’s total of active cases improved — since 37,190 on October 26 — by nearly 79 per cent.

Bengal now has around 3.5 per cent of total active cases at the national level, half of over seven per cent it had about a month ago.

“On November 10, the total active cases were 33,444. On December 10, it was 23,451. Today (Sunday), it is 7,881…. There has been a quantum leap forward in the past few months. The total now is back almost to where it was on July 8, over six months ago,” said a minister.

Since the end of Puja, the state reported nearly 2.33 lakh recoveries, outweighing the 2.06 lakh new infections.

The recovery rate has risen for 80 consecutive days, by over nine per cent, to 96.82. The national rate now is 96.4 per cent. The state’s positive confirmation rate is 7.53 per cent now, improving from 8.27 per cent on November 20.

Bengal’s total test count — including 35,123 examinations recorded on Sunday — went past 74.41 lakh, at 82,683 tests per million people.

The state’s total of 5.6 lakh cases include nearly 5.43 lakh recoveries and 9,941 deaths.

The 19 deaths reported on Sunday included three from Calcutta. The state attributed 8,343 (83.9 per cent) of the total deaths to comorbidities. Bengal’s mortality rate is now 1.77, compared to the 1.44 per cent nationally.