U.S. oil demand rose in December to its highest level since before the coronavirus pandemic began, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Monday, with product supplied nearing 21 million barrels per day (bpd).

Overall fuel demand was up 10% year-on-year in December at 20.8 million bpd, its highest since August 2019. Product supplied is a proxy for consumer demand since it mostly reflects fuels processed from U.S. crude oil for consumption and export.

Crude oil production slipped by about 206,000 bpd to 11.57 million bpd in December, the EIA said in its Petroleum Supply Monthly report. U.S. crude exports rose to 3.45 million bpd.

Monthly gross natural gas production, meanwhile, rose 0.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) to a record 108.3 bcfd in the U.S. Lower 48 states in December, the EIA said in its monthly 914 production report.

That was the second month in a row that Lower 48 gross gas output hit a record high. The previous all-time high was 108.2 bcfd in November.

In top gas producing states, monthly output rose 0.6% in Texas to a record 30.3 bcfd and 1.1% in Pennsylvania to a record 22.0 bcfd.