BEIJING, Jan. 14 -- A total of 59,938 deaths related to COVID-19 occurred in medical institutions nationwide from Dec. 8, 2022 to Jan. 12, 2023, a health official said on Saturday.

A total of 5,503 people died of respiratory failure caused by COVID-19, and 54,435 died of underlying issues complicated by COVID-19 infection, said Jiao Yahui, head of the Bureau of Medical Administration under the National Health Commission, at a press conference held by the State Council joint COVID-19 prevention and control mechanism.

The average age at the time of death was 80.3 years, with about 90.1 percent aged 65 years and above, and about 56.5 percent aged 80 and above, Jiao said.

More than 90 percent of the deaths involved underlying issues, including cardiovascular diseases, advanced tumors, cerebrovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, metabolic diseases and renal insufficiency.

Winter is a season with a high incidence of respiratory disease, and the cold weather can aggravate cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases among the elderly. These diseases, combined with COVID-19 infection, have led to a relatively high number of deaths among the elderly, Jiao said.

China started managing COVID-19 with measures designed for combating Class B infectious diseases from Jan. 8.

In the future, relevant data will be released to the public in a timely manner in accordance with relevant provisions for Class B infectious diseases, Jiao said.