BEIJING, Dec. 24 -- The overall number of people being diagnosed with and treated for respiratory diseases has continued to see a decreasing trend nationwide, a health official said on Sunday.

Data shows that in the week ending on Dec. 22, the numbers of people diagnosed with and treated for respiratory diseases at secondary and higher-level medical institutions fell 8.2 percent from the week earlier, a drop of 30 percent from this year's peak level, National Health Commission (NHC) spokesperson Mi Feng said at a press conference.

Grassroots-level medical institutions have played a crucial role in ensuring basic medical services since demand for such services began growing this autumn and winter.

"The volumes of people diagnosed with and treated for respiratory diseases at the grassroots level have remained stable, and recent monitoring data shows a contracting tendency," according to NHC official Fu Wei.

About 40 percent of patients with respiratory diseases in the country have been treated in grassroots-level medical institutions since Nov. 26, Fu said.