Bengal on Friday witnessed the 15th consecutive day of rise in the number of active Covid-19 cases, which crossed the 4,000 mark yet again after falling below it on February 15.

The number of active cases rose by 281 on Friday to touch 4,231.

The state recorded 646 new infections (239 in the city) and 361 recoveries on Friday. Four Covid patients died, one of them in the city, during the day.

The recent spell of rise is part of a wider national trend. A 136-day stint of fall in the number of active cases in Bengal, since Vijaya Dashami last year, snapped on March 11.

Before the rise since March 12, the active case count had fallen from 37,190 on October 26 to 3,110.

Despite the recent surge, Bengal has 0.94 per cent of the national total of active cases and is 13th on the list of states with most active cases in the country. This is largely because other states have been doing far worse.

“This is part of a nationwide second wave.Bengal is also vulnerable because of all the disregard for safety protocols,” said a minister.

The recovery rate in the state is 97.5 per cent, considerably ahead of the national rate of 94.83 per cent.

The state’s positive confirmation rate is 6.43 per cent.