Bengal on Sunday logged 701 new Covid-19 cases, 827 recoveries, and 13 deaths.

The state also recorded six consecutive weeks — 42 uninterrupted days — of a fall in the total number of active cases. On Sunday, active cases fell by 139 to 10,974, below 11,000 again for the first time since April 4, 119 days ago.

“The next target is to get the total of active cases to fewer than 10,000, an important landmark psychologically. We have come a long way since the all-time high of 1,32,181 active cases on May 21,” said a minister.

Bengal’s recovery rate is at the state’s all-time high of 98.09 per cent, ahead of the national rate of 97.32. The state’s mortality rate is 1.19, while that of the nation is 1.34 per cent.

Calcutta logged 60 new cases and one death on Sunday.

Bengal’s daily positive confirmation rate, which was nearly 33 per cent at the peak of the second wave, is now 1.61 per cent, indicating the shrink in Covid spread.

With North 24-Parganas recording 93 new cases, Sunday was the second consecutive day, after a three-day gap, of not one Bengal district reporting a three-digit figure of new infections. Eighteen districts reported double-digit figures and South Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum and Purulia single-digit figures.

Fifteen Bengal districts reported zero deaths on Sunday. Calcutta apart, West Midnapore and East Burdwan reported one death each.

Bengal now has nearly 15.29 lakh Covid-19 cases, since the first was reported in March last year. The total includes nearly 15 lakh recoveries and 18,149 deaths.