KATHMANDU: One million and five hundred thousand doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines provided by the United States of America (USA) have arrived in Nepal.

A regular flight of Qatar Airways landed at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) with the vaccine this morning.

America Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry officially handed over the vaccines to Minister for Health and Population Krishna Gopal Shrestha amidst a program at the TIA.

According to the US Embassy in Nepal, this vaccine requires only one shot to be fully vaccinated — meaning 1.5 million people will soon be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Nepal.

“This is one crucial step toward ending the pandemic, recuperating economic losses, and resuming the in-person social connections we all crave,” the US Embassy has said.

Earlier, President Bidya Bhandari had written a letter to her American counterpart Joe Biden urging the latter to extend help in COVID-19 vaccines.

Experts have said that one dose of Johnson & Johnson will suffice against COVID-19 while two doses of other vaccines are required.

Nepal has received 348,000 doses of Covishield (developed by Oxford AstraZeneca) manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under the COVAX facility.

There have been grievances that the COVAX has not been distributing vaccines despite its commitments to make vaccines available for at least 20 percent of the entire world population.

The Health Ministry is making preparations to administer 1.5 million Johnson & Johnson to the citizens on a priority basis.