PHNOM PENH, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Thursday confirmed 113 new local COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the kingdom to 3,028, said a Ministry of Health (MoH) statement.

Of the new cases, 103 were found in capital Phnom Penh, the statement said.

The MoH also logged two new deaths from the virus at a COVID-19-designated hospital in Phnom Penh on Wednesday. The deceased patients included a 68-year-old man and a 49-year-old man.

The Southeast Asian nation has been enduring the third community COVID-19 outbreak since Feb. 20, with at least 2,496 people infected and 24 dead so far, the MoH said, adding that there are 1,085 active cases in the kingdom.

Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Tuesday advised the MoH to prepare for giving treatment to COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms at their homes, predicting that hospitals will be overcrowded if new cases continue to soar.

"If the spread of the disease has not slowed down, our hospitals will be overflown with patients, with both mild and severe symptoms," Hun Sen said in an audio message.

"So, I'd like to advise our working group to create a standard operating procedure (SOP) for home treatment for a future use, because our hospitals cannot accommodate all if the number of new cases continues to rise," he said.

He said treatment in isolation at home should be provided to those who have "decent houses" while those who have "small houses" where there is a high risk of spreading should be taken to the hospital although they develop mild symptoms.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng said the MoH will soon train local medical practitioners on how to treat COVID-19 patients, so they can care and treat the patients when home treatment is allowed.

Cambodia began an anti-COVID-19 vaccination drive on Feb 10. As of Wednesday, more than 756,000 people in the priority groups had been vaccinated against the virus, showed a government report.