The government has begun administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine provided by the United States of America from Monday.

People between 50-54 years of age, disabled people, refugees and sanitation workers are being inoculated with the single-shot vaccine.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ambassador of the United States Randy Berry inaugurated the vaccination programme of the US-made vaccine at Attarkhel-based Nepal Orthopedic Hospital.

The United States on July 12 had provided a little over 1.5 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine through COVAX, an international vaccine sharing scheme.

The arrival of the American vaccine has come as a big respite for Nepal, which is struggling to secure enough doses to inoculate its population.

Here are some photos of the inoculation drive taken by Post Photographer Angad Dhakal.