“It’s Open Season” by April for everyone to receive vaccines, according to Dr. Fauci

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has been on the coronavirus task force established by President Trump and now run by President Biden, serves as the chief medical advisor for Covid-19. On Thursday, Dr. Fauci said that most Americans can receive the coronavirus vaccine by April.

In an interview with Savannah Guthrie, the TODAY show’s co-host, Dr. Fauci answered a lot of pressing questions and concerns about the coronavirus and the vaccine rollout.

While states have prioritized vaccines for older people and health care workers, there will be enough vaccines available through the spring, which Dr. Fauci described as “open season.”

While it may still take several more months to get everyone to have vaccines on their arms, with Dr. Fauci explaining that the vast majority of people in the United States could be vaccinated by mid- to late summer.

While both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have shown remarkable success rates at testing and won FDA emergency use approval, the actual vaccine rollout has not been smooth with confusion and delays. The number of shots being administered has steadily grown with the CDC reporting that 1.56 million doses were given on Wednesday. This brings the latest seven-day average of vaccine distribution to more than 1.5 million a day.

The U.S. has also bought large supplies of vaccines to protect the general public and ensure that every American can be vaccinated. Both Moderna and Pfizer have been hard at work to increase production to meet demands. Other vaccines in development that may also be approved include a one-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson that may receive FDA approval by the end of February, and other vaccines from Novavax and AstraZeneca for use later in the spring.

Many businesses, colleges and schools have delayed re-opening their offices until the general public has been vaccinated. Others like Salesforce, the cloud computing giant, are reimagining their work schedules for their labor force, allowing flex, remote and in office options. As high as 33% of American workers are expected to continue working remotely even after vaccines are administered.

Allaying some fears about the new U.K. variant that spreads quickly, Dr. Fauci also told the TODAY show that the vaccines in the U.S. “seem to do well” against the new virus strain. He explained the importance of getting vaccinated and how people should not congregate in groups or even close family members till everyone has been vaccinated.

When asked about double making where people where a surgical mask and then a cloth mask on top, he said that it was a good idea and that it is still “prudent to wear a mask” after being vaccinated to protect others.