ULAN BATOR, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia registered 169 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest daily increase, raising its national tally to 3,833, the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Saturday.

The latest cases were detected in the country's capital Ulan Bator, the country's hardest hit region, the NCCD said.

Among them, 156 cases were found in people who had close contact with previously confirmed cases, while the source of the remaining 13 has not been identified, it said.

The center urged the public to enhance self-protection and avoid crowded places.

Meanwhile, 48 more patients have recovered and were discharged from hospitals in Ulan Bator, taking the total number of recoveries to 2,955.

The Asian country has registered eight COVID-19-related deaths so far.