Bhubaneswar, Mar 17 (IANS): The Odisha government on Wednesday requested the Union Health Ministry for inclusion of additional categories, including journalists, as frontline workers for Covid-19 vaccination.

In a letter, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, P.K. Mohapatra told Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary Rajesh Bhushan that many categories of persons who are at risk of exposure to infection due to the nature of their work have not been included as frontline workers.

He requested for inclusion of journalists, servitors of Jagannath and Lingaraj temples, employees working at airports, railways and seaports for Covid-19 vaccination.

He also requested to include others engaged in maintenance of essential services like electricity and water supply as front line workers for Covid-19 vaccination.

Officials from different departments who were engaged for Covid-19 surveillance and containment measures at state and district level are being vaccinated as front line workers in the state since February this year.