SAO PAULO, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- With 216 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, Brazil's death toll from COVID-19 hit 166,014, the Ministry of Health reported on Monday.

The ministry said that another 13,371 cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, raising the national caseload to 5,876,464.

The ministry explained that there are delays in data collection in some states, so the information should be updated in the coming days.

Sao Paulo, the most affected state in the country, has reported 40,576 deaths and 1,169,377 cases.

According to official reports, hospital admissions of patients with COVID-19 in Sao Paulo increased by 18 percent in the first half of November, prompting the local government to announce on Monday that it will postpone further lifting of lockdown measures.