Bengal on Wednesday reported 668 Covid-19 cases, 675 recoveries and a dozen deaths, resulting in a drop by 19 in its total of active cases to 7,712.

A minister said the number of new cases reported on Wednesday was indicative of people who had got infected in the period from November 22 (nine days after Jagaddhatri Puja) to 26.

Calcutta reported 172 infections and North 24-Parganas 131 on Wednesday.

Eighteen Bengal districts reported zero deaths. Calcutta and North 24-Parganas logged four each. Calcutta, North and South 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia accounted for 487 — 72.9 per cent — of the new infections.

The state’s mortality rate is 1.21.

The daily positive confirmation rate, which was nearly 33 per cent at the peak of the second wave, was 1.79 per cent on Wednesday.

The state’s recovery rate is 98.32 per cent, below the national rate of 98.36.

Bengal now has over 16.16 lakh Covid-19 cases, since the first was logged in March last year. The total includes more than 15.89 lakh recoveries and 19,498 casualties.