Bengal logged more than 3,500 new Covid-19 cases for the first time on Thursday as 3,526 patients were found during a 24-hour period till 9am.

The total caseload has gone past 2.84 lakh, including over 2.49 lakh recoveries and 5,439 deaths.

The state also reported 63 deaths and 2,970 recoveries on Thursday.

In a worrisome sign, the recovery rate fell for the second consecutive day — from 87.98 on Tuesday — to 87.93 per cent. Prior to this, the recovery rate had not dipped in months.

The state is still ahead of the national rate, which is 85.25, but it dropped by several spots in the list of states with the highest recovery rates. While Bengal was in the top five even a couple of weeks ago, it was at the 12th spot on Thursday.

“October has not been kind. In just eight days so far, the record for the highest intra-day spike has been reset on six days,” said a minister.

“When you have just two of the high-incidence districts (Calcutta and North 24-Parganas) reporting around 1,500 new cases between them daily, keeping the statewide total in check becomes a real challenge,” he added.

The state, which had fallen out of the top 10 in the list of states with the most active cases, climbed back into the eighth spot with the renewed surge in the total of active cases.

It was 28,854 on Thursday, having fallen to 23,000-odd a month ago.

“The active cases of both Calcutta and North 24-Parganas had fallen to around 4,000 a month ago. Now, both are over 6,200 again. The other high-incidence districts around the city are also showing signs of another spell of rise. With barely two weeks left for Durga Puja, this is worrisome,” said the minister.

The state reported 42,441 tests on Thursday, taking the total past 35.65 lakh, at 39,618 tests per million people.

With the spike in cases, the positive confirmation rate also rose slightly, to 7.97 per cent.

Of the 63 deaths reported in 24 hours, 11 occurred in the city and 16 in North 24-Parganas.

The state government reported 4,616 deaths (84.9 per cent) as co-morbid. The overall mortality rate stayed at 1.91, while the national rate is 1.54 per cent.

The state reported 38.04 per cent occupancy — there too, a rise of around 5 per cent in a month — on 12,715 Covid-19 beds at 92 hospitals and over 3.07 lakh telemedicine consultations.