Mumbai,  With at least 20 new cases of Covid's Delta Plus variant detected, the total number of patients in the state infected by it has shot up to 65, health officials said on Wednesday.

Of the fresh cases, the maximum - seven - are from Mumbai, followed by three from Pune, two each from Palghar, Raigad, Nanded, and Gondia, and one each from Akola and Chandrapur districts.

Among the 65 total cases detected in the state till date, the highest 13 are from Jalgaon, 12 from Ratnagiri, 11 from Mumbai, six each in Thane and Pune, three in Palghar, two each in Raigad, Nanded, and Gondia, and one each from Sindhudurg, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Sangli, Beed, Nandurbar, Akola, and Chandrapur.

The patients include 33 women and 32 men, and a whopping 33 cases - or nearly half - of those infected are in the 19-45 age group, while 17 are 46-60 years and seven in above-60 age group.

As a precaution, the Health Department has started searching for the close contacts of these infectees on a war footing, their travel history, vaccination status, recent medical status and other relevant details to prevent more infections, said the officials.