Bengal logs 885 fresh cases : The state reported 1,697 recoveries and 18 deaths, including two from Calcutta

Bengal now has a total of over 15.06 lakh Covid-19 cases, since the first was detected in March last year.: File picture

Meghdeep Bhattacharyya   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |   06.07.21: Bengal on Monday logged 885 new Covid-19 cases, a three-digit total for the first time since March 31, 96 days ago.

Monday was the 15th straight day of a drop in Bengal’s total active Covid-19 cases, which fell by 830 to 17,950.

The state reported 1,697 recoveries and 18 deaths, including two from Calcutta.

“Getting the daily new infection count to less than 1,000 again was an important milestone. Now, we can safely say we are on our way past the residual impact of the second wave,” said a minister.

Bengal’s active cases 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. But for 11 days till June 20, it rose again by over 56 per cent, before falling by over 22 per cent in these 15 days.

The state’s daily positive confirmation rate, nearly 33 per cent at the peak of the second wave, was 2.19 on Monday, indicating shrinking Covid-19 spread. Bengal’s recovery rate rose to 97.63 per cent on Monday, with the national rate at 97.09. Its mortality rate is 1.18 now, while that of the nation is 1.31 per cent.

With Calcutta logging 64 new infections and North 24-Parganas 109, Monday was the eighth successive day since the second wave when none of Bengal’s 23 districts reported over 200 new cases. Eighteen districts reported double-digit figures of new infections and Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum and Purulia single-digit figures.

North 24-Parganas reported three deaths while five districts just one each and a dozen others zero deaths on Monday.

Bengal now has a total of over 15.06 lakh Covid-19 cases, since the first was detected in March last year. It includes 14.7 lakh recoveries and 17,817 deaths.