Bengal on Sunday logged the 21st straight day of a dip in its total number of active Covid-19 cases, by 403 to touch 14,901.

The number of active cases is below 15,000 again after June 9, 32 days ago.

The state reported 1,314 recoveries, 924 new infections and 13 deaths on Sunday. Calcutta reported two deaths.

Bengal now has 3.31 per cent of the national total of active cases, and is eighth among states with the most active cases. The state’s recovery rate rose to 97.83 per cent. The national rate is 97.17.

Active cases in all had fallen till June 9 by around 89 per cent to 14,702 from the all-time high of 1,32,181 on May 21 at the peak of the second wave. But for 11 days till June 20, it rose by over 56 per cent, before falling again by over 35 per cent over these three weeks.

“Getting back to below 15,000 active cases again is a memorable achievement in the wake of the devastating second wave. Our next goal is to get to below 10,000 in a matter of weeks,” said a minister.

With Calcutta logging 82 new infections and North 24-Parganas 94, Sunday was the fourth day since the second wave when not one of Bengal’s 23 districts reported a daily three-digit figure of new infections. Seventeen districts reported double-digit figures and six others single-digit figures.

The daily positive confirmation rate, which was nearly 33 per cent at the peak of the second wave, was 1.78 per cent on Sunday. A decreasing positive confirmation rate is indicative of reducing levels of Covid-19 spread.

Of the 13 deaths, two each were reported from the city and North 24-Parganas. Sixteen Bengal districts reported zero deaths on Sunday, while Jalpaiguri, Howrah and Hooghly reported just one.

The state’s mortality rate remained 1.18, while that of the nation is 1.32 per cent now.

Bengal now has a total of over 15.12 lakh Covid-19 cases, since the first was detected in March last year. It includes nearly 14.79 lakh recoveries and 17,916 deaths.