SAO PAULO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Brazil on Monday reported 636 new deaths from COVID-19, pushing the death toll to 232,170.

　　According to the Brazilian Health Ministry, tests detected 23,439 new daily cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the accumulated caseload to 9,548,079.

　　The northern state of Amazonas, one of Brazil's pandemic hotspots, had the highest number of single-day deaths of 113, raising its death toll to 9,116, while cases of infection numbered 283,658.

　　Sao Paulo, the most populous and the hardest hit state in the country, has reopened public schools with face-to-face classes, but attending in person is not mandatory.

　　Some 3.3 million students started the school year with building occupancy rates limited to 35 percent and the option of distance learning.