All accredited journalists to be administered COVID-19 vaccine on priority, announces Odisha CM

With COVID-19 cases on the rise, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday announced that all accredited journalists in the state will be administered the COVID-19 vaccine on priority. All District and Municipal Commissioners have been issued instruction for the same.

"Working journalists in the State are performing their duty in the critical juncture of COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping in view the nature of their work and the amount of risk they take to collect and disseminate important news, Chief Minister, Odisha has already declared all working Journalists as Frontline COVID Warriors" the order to authorities said. "In this context, it has been decided at the government level to vaccinate all accredited working journalists with COVID-19 vaccine to protect them from infection," it added.

Earlier on Monday, the Odisha government had also informed that amid the shortage of vaccines, beneficiaries waiting to take their second dose will also be prioritised. As many as 8,216 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the last 24 hours, the state health department said on Tuesday.

According to the health bulletin, 6,488 people have recovered from the disease in the said period while 15 people scummed to the disease, taking the state's death toll to 2,088. There are currently 73,548 active cases in the state, while a total of 40,4063 people have been discharged so far.