Eighty per cent of the total oxygen produced in Chhattisgarh will be supplied for medical purposes to hospitals in the state in view of a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases, a government official said on Sunday.

The state health department on Sunday issued a notification in this regard under the Epidemic Diseases Act on the directives of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, he said.

As per the notification, manufacturers have been directed to supply 80 per cent of the total oxygen produced in their units to hospitals as ‘medical oxygen’.

In case of an urgent requirement, the remaining 20 per cent of the oxygen produced will also be supplied to hospitals, the public relations official said. Manufacturers have also been asked to ensure uninterrupted production of oxygen in their units with their full capacity, he said.

Divisional commissioners and collectors have been asked to ensure proper implementation of the order, he added.

On Saturday, Chhattisgarh recorded 14,098 new cases of coronavirus, the highest single-day spike since the outbreak of the infection in March last year, according to the state health department.

The state has so far reported a total of 4,32,776 COVID-19 cases and 4,777 deaths due to the disease.

As of now, there are 85,860 active COVID-19 cases in the state, while 3,42,139 patients have recovered, as per official figures.