Bengal on Monday reached the recovery rate of 97 per cent in the Covid-19 pandemic and recorded less than 7,000 active patients.

The recovery rate of 97 per cent was achieved following a rise over 88 consecutive days from 87.44 on October 22 last year.

On Monday, the state logged 10 deaths from Covid-19, the lowest daily toll in 204 days, since the 10 reported on June 28 last year. The state also reported 569 recoveries and 389 infections on Monday.

Bengal now has over 5.65 lakh Covid-19 cases — since the first was reported on March 17, 2020 — but they include nearly 5.49 lakh recoveries and 10,063 deaths.

The total active cases on Monday were 6,893.

“Now, we have 97 per cent in recoveries, the daily death toll is down to 10, and we had 84 consecutive days (since Vijaya Dashami on October 26 last year) of a drop in the total of active cases…. The story of our triumph over the pandemic has been the stuff of fairy tales,” said a minister.

On October 26, the total of active cases was 37,190.

“Next targets? More than 98 per cent in our recovery rate, single-digit daily death toll and total of active cases less than 6,000,” he added.

The state’s positive confirmation rate is 7.38 per cent now, having improved steadily from the 8.27, 59 days ago.

Bengal’s total test count — including 18,875 tests on Monday — is over 76.66 lakh now, at 85,180 tests per million people.

The 10 deaths reported on Monday included just one from the city.

“Even in December, the state was reporting around 60 deaths daily, with 20-plus from Calcutta alone,” said the minister.

The state attributed 8,443 (83.9 per cent) of the total toll to comorbidities.

Bengal’s mortality rate remained 1.77, compared to the 1.44 per cent nationally.