Bengal for the first time logged over 4,000 recoveries from Covid-19 in a day with 4,015 patients being reported cured of the pathogen on Friday, outnumbering 3,979 new infections.

The higher recoveries resulted in a drop in the total number of active cases for the fourth consecutive day. There has not been such a spell of fall in the total of active cases in the state since a 15-day streak ended on September 7.

Bengal on Friday reported 59 deaths, including 18 each from Calcutta and North 24-Parganas.

Since Durga Puja ended, the state has been reporting numbers that the government hopes is the onset of a decisive turnaround in the pandemic.

The recovery rate, which had taken a tumble since the October 6 high of 87.98 and fallen to 87.43 on October 20, was 88.16 per cent on Friday. The national rate is 91.12 now.

“For 11 consecutive days now, the record for the new high in daily recoveries was reset. On all four days after Puja, the new case count has been sub-4,000. We still have to see what numbers we get over the next week or so, but these early indicators give us some scope to be optimistic,” said a minister.

The total of novel coronavirus cases in Bengal went past 3.69 lakh. But they include nearly 3.26 lakh recoveries and 6,784 deaths.

With 43,774 tests on Friday, Bengal went past the milestones of 45 lakh tests and the 50,000-mark in tests per million people, with 45,12 lakh tests at 50,136 tests per million.

The positive confirmation rate is 8.19 per cent now.

Of the total 6,784 deaths reported, the state government attributed 5,705 (84.1 per cent) to comorbidities.

Bengal’s overall mortality rate is 1.83 now, still behind the national rate of 1.49 per cent.

The state reported 34.81 per cent occupancy on 12,811 beds earmarked for Covid-19 at 94 dedicated hospitals on Friday. Over 3.92 lakh telemedicine consultations have been provided on the pandemic so far.