Jaipur, Dec 13 (IANS): Four fresh cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been detected in Rajasthan which took the total number of infected people in the state to 13, health officials said on Monday.

After Maharashtra, the state now stands second in the country with the highest number of Omicron-infected patients.

Maharashtra has 18 patients infected by the new variant while Rajasthan has tested 13 patients positive for Omicron.

Out of them, 9 later tested negative and were sent home.

A total of 42 Omicron-infected patients have been found across the country, so far.

As per Jaipur CMHO Narottam Sharma, "Besides four members of a family who tested positive for Omicron after returning from South Africa, their family members in Adarsh Nagar Janata Colony had also come in contact with them. While five people were earlier found infected with Omicron, the report of the remaining four people has been also found positive."

Meanwhile, reports of genome sequencing of people who have returned from abroad in the past few days are yet to come in Jaipur. This includes those who returned from Ukraine, four family members who returned from Germany and two persons who returned from the US. Samples of these people have been sent for testing.

Besides Rajasthan and Maharashtra, three Omicron patients each in Gujarat and Karnataka, two in Delhi, one each in Chandigarh, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh have been found.

According to reports, out of all the Omicron infected cases found in India, most of the cases are asymptomatic including the 13 cases detected in Rajasthan.