ULAN BATOR – Mongolia’s COVID-19 tally rose to 455,409 after 1,297 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours, the country’s health ministry said Friday.

The new cases were all local transmissions, and among them, 687 were detected in capital Ulan Bator, which is the region hit hardest by COVID-19 and home to more than half of the country’s population of 3.4 million.

Meanwhile, the total death toll increased to 2,067 after two more COVID-19 patients died in the past day, the ministry said.

Currently, 6,219 COVID-19 patients are being treated in hospitals across Mongolia, while 22,303 asymptomatic or mild patients are receiving home-based care, it said.

Read more: Mongolia adds 1,230 new COVID-19 infections

So far, 66.7 percent of the country’s total population have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses, while more than 1,012,500 people aged over 18 have received a third dose.

More than 88,000 Mongolians have received a fourth dose, which the country started to administer from Jan. 7 on a voluntary basis.