Bengal on Saturday reported 556 new Covid-19 infections, 560 recoveries and eight deaths, causing the state’s total of active cases to drop by 12 to 7,501, after two days of a rise in the total.

New cases reported on Saturday indicated infections between December 9 and 13.

Calcutta reported 163 new infections and North 24-Parganas 113, the only two of the state’s 23 districts with a three-digit figure of new cases found in a day. Eleven districts reported a single-digit figure.

Calcutta, North and South 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia accounted for 409 or 73.56 per cent of the new Covid-19 infections that were detected on Saturday.

Of the eight deaths reported, Calcutta and North 24-Parganas logged three deaths each. Twenty districts reported zero deaths.

Bengal’s daily Covid positive confirmation rate is 1.45 per cent and recovery rate was 98.33 per cent, below the national rate of 98.38 per cent.

The state’s mortality rate is 1.21 per cent, while that of the nation is 1.33 per cent.

In the past 12 weeks (84 days) since Bengal snapped out of a 97-day streak of constant fall in active cases ahead of the Puja season on September 26, the total rose on 36 days and fell on 46 days. Over these 12 weeks, there has been a net fall of 173 in the total.

Bengal now has over 16.26 lakh Covid-19 cases, since the first was logged in March last year. The total includes more than 15.99 lakh recoveries and 19,660 deaths.