Bengal on Wednesday reported 853 new Covid-19 infections, 809 recoveries and 15 deaths, resulting in a rise by 29 in its active cases to 7,945.

A minister said new infections reported on Wednesday indicated people who got infected between November 1 and 5 (the day after Kali Puja).

Calcutta reported 227 new cases and three deaths on Wednesday.

North 24-Parganas reported 153 new cases and five deaths. These are the only two of the state’s 23 districts with a three-digit figure.Seven districts reported cases in single-digit figure.

Sixteen districts reported zero deaths.

Calcutta, North and South 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia accounted for 611 or 71.63 per cent of the new infections detected on Wednesday.

The state’s recovery rate is 98.3 per cent, while that of the nation is 98.25 per cent.

Bengal’s daily positive confirmation rate, nearly 33 per cent at the peak of the second wave, was 2.03 per cent on Wednesday.

The state’s mortality rate is 1.2 per cent, while that of the nation is 1.34 per cent.

Over the past 46 days since Bengal snapped out of a 97-day streak of fall in active cases ahead of the Puja season on September 26, the state recorded a rise in its total of active cases for 26 days and a fall for 19 days.

In these 46 days, there has been a net rise of 271 in the state’s total of active cases, from 7,674.

Bengal now has over 16 lakh Covid-19 cases, since the first was logged in March last year. The total includes more than 15.73 lakh recoveries and 19,267 deaths.