When Will Vaccines Be Open To All? Fauci Predicts April

NBC News: Dr. Fauci: It Will Be ‘Open Season’ By April For Everyone To Receive Vaccines
Dr. Anthony Fauci tells TODAY that the pace of coronavirus vaccinations will pick up “as we get into March and April” and that by April, it will be “open season” for all groups to receive shots. He says that while the U.K. variant does spread more rapidly, “the vaccines we have seem to do well” against it. (2/11)

Los Angeles Times: April May See 'Open Season' On COVID-19 Vaccines, Fauci Says
The United States could see “open season” for COVID-19 vaccine doses by April, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday, an optimistic forecast that comes as states continue to clamor for additional supplies to ramp up their rollouts. Though the nation will still be far from administering doses to all those who need it by then, Fauci said he believes conditions will improve to the point that health officials can begin inoculating the wider population. “I would imagine, by the time we get to April, that will be what I would call, for better wording, ‘open season’ — namely, virtually everybody and anybody in any category could start to get vaccinated,” the U.S. government’s top infectious diseases expert said during an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show. (Money and Lin II, 2/11)

In other news on the vaccine rollout —

Stat: Vaccination Rates Follow The Money In States With Big Wealth Gaps
The findings back up, with hard data, anecdotal reports that wealthy people have been able to gain access to vaccines ahead of poor people. (Goldhill, 2/11)

The New York Times: After A Sluggish Start, Vaccine Rollout Is Improving In Every State
The slow start to the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in the United States has been no secret: Seniors have waited in long lines for a dose, vaccine registration websites have crashed and public health resources were tied up during the country’s biggest surge yet in early January. But health officials say that while current vaccine supply levels still limit how many vaccines they can administer, states are becoming more efficient at immunizing people as shipments arrive. (Leatherby and Schoenfeld Walker, 2/12)

NBC News: Small Pharmacies Are Crucial To Vaccine Distribution. But It Could Cost Them.
Thousands of small pharmacies across the country were tapped by the Biden administration last week to stand on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic and carry out vaccinations. For each of these mom and pop pharmacies, that has meant investing huge sums of money to purchase freezers for vaccine storage, buying personal protective equipment, acquiring scheduling software, hiring additional staff or shuffling employees around to allow them to run vaccination clinics within their storefronts or in firehouses, parking lots and community centers. (McCausland, 2/12)

Stat: Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout Brings Exhaustion For Pharmacists, But Some Relief
The nationwide frenzy to get Covid-19 vaccines has been complicated, frustrating, and downright exhausting for millions of Americans. But take a moment to consider the plight of your local pharmacist. (Sohn, 2/12)

Boston Globe: State To Curtail Vaccine Distribution To Hospitals
Massachusetts is severely limiting the number of coronavirus vaccine doses sent to hospitals across the state, a health care trade group said Thursday, after state officials warned last month that they would curtail supplies to facilities that weren’t using the doses quickly enough. The Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association sent a message to its members advising them not to schedule any appointments for the first dose of the vaccine until further notice — but also not to cancel any appointments already scheduled. A state spokeswoman said Thursday night that people who already have appointments won’t be affected by the change. (Fox, 2/11)