Bengal on Tuesday recorded the second rise, in three days, in its active Covid-19 cases after a 97-day streak of fall ended on Sunday.

The state’s total number of active cases rose by two to 7,586, with 708 new infections, 693 recoveries and 13 deaths.

A minister called this an aberration but said they were on high alert as festivals were coming amid fears of a nationwide third wave.

Calcutta logged 137 new infections and three deaths. North 24-Parganas logged 125 new infections and three deaths.

These were the only two of the state’s 23 districts with a three-digit figure of new infections in a day. Nine districts reported a single-digit figure of new infections.

Sixteen Bengal districts reported zero deaths.

Bengal now has 2.66 per cent of India’s active cases, and is seventh among states with the most such cases.

The state’s recovery rate remained 98.32 per cent, still fairly ahead of the national rate of 97.79 per cent.

The daily positive confirmation rate, which was nearly 33 per cent at the peak of the second wave, was 1.93 per cent on Tuesday.

The state’s mortality rate is 1.2 per cent, while that of the nation is 1.33 per cent.

Bengal now has over 15.67 lakh Covid-19 cases, since the first was logged in March last year. The total includes more than 15.41 lakh recoveries and 18,764 deaths.