After the likes of Punjab, Odisha, Bihar, Karnataka, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, Telangana has joined the list of States where journalists are treated as frontline workers for vaccination. On Wednesday, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said that his government has decided to vaccinate journalists by identifying them as frontline workers. This comes as a great piece of news for the journalist fraternity, which has lost scores of lives in the past one year.

The CM added that vaccination for people working in the essentials category will also be prioritized.

Earlier this month, after assuming office, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin designated journalists as frontline workers and declared benefits for them.

Meanwhile, IT Minister KT Rama Rao today said that more hospitals will be slapped with notices over complaints of charging covid patients excessively. On May 18, a hospital in Madhapur was robbed of its license. A hospital each in Secunderabad, Nagole and Basheerbagh received show-cause notices. "We will clamp down on more hospitals. I assure patients not to worry," KTR said.

Meanwhile, India today crossed 20 crore cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage in 130 days.