Bengal on Monday reported the sharpest drop yet in 24 hours in its total of active Covid-19 cases in the ongoing second wave.

With 19,670 recoveries over 17,883 new infections detected in the last 24 hours ending at 9am, besides 153 deaths, active cases in Bengal dropped by 1,940 to less than 1.29 lakh again.

Since last Friday’s all-time high of 1,32,181 lakh active cases, Bengal’s total of active Covid-19 infections has come down to 1,28,585 on Monday.

The state has 4.96 per cent of the national total of active coronavirus infections now, and is currently sixth on the list of states with the most active cases.

“Now that we are increasingly logging drops in the total of active cases, we not far from falling out of the top 10 in that list,” said a minister on Monday.

Bengal’s total of Covid-19 cases, since the first infection was detected on March 17 last year, is nearly 12.85 lakh now, including close to 11.42 lakh recoveries and 14,517 deaths.

Also, in a significantly positive indicator, the state’s recovery rate rose for the 23rd consecutive day, to 88.86 per cent. The national rate now is 89.2.

“We are back on track to getting back into the 90s (recovery rate percentage), in a matter of days, and past 95 again in some weeks. Alongside the alarmingly high number of daily infections in the second wave, we have however stayed consistent with our remarkably high number of daily recoveries as well,” said the minister.

Bengal is currently 15th on the list of states with the highest recovery rates.

In another important positive, Bengal’s mortality rate now is 1.12 per cent, showing steady improvement. In fact, the state’s figure is better for the first time since the onset of the pandemic than the national average, which is 1.13 per cent now.

Of the 153 deaths reported on Monday, 35 were from Calcutta and 47 from North 24-Parganas, the two worst affected districts of Bengal.

Calcutta also logged 3,121 new infections, North 24-Parganas 3,793.