Fauci said virtually every American who wants a vaccine should be able to get one starting in April

• Dr. Anthony Fauci said he thinks the rate of vaccinations in the US will start accelerating soon.
• The expert told NBC News that he thinks April will be “open season” for vaccinations in the country.
• He emphasized that it will still take several more months to get the majority of people vaccinated.
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Anyone and everyone who wants a coronavirus vaccine should be able to get one in the US starting in April, regardless of risk factors or priority groups, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie that he thinks April will be “open season” for vaccinations in the country.

“If you look at the projection, I would imagine that 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 can start to get vaccinated,” Fauci said.

The infectious disease expert went on to say that it would likely still take several more months to logistically get the vaccine to everyone, but the US could hopefully see the “overwhelming majority” of people vaccinated by the middle or end of summer.

Fauci’s statements come just as President Joe Biden announced his administration bought 200 million more vaccine doses, marking a 50% increase in the nation’s total vaccine supply and giving the country enough doses for roughly 255 million people – its entire adult population.

While the new supply of 100 million Moderna doses and 100 million Pfizer doses will help prevent shortages in the future, they won't be delivered until the end of July, meaning those specific shots won't help speed up the current pace of vaccinations.

But speaking to NBC News, Fauci predicted that the rate of vaccinations will start to accelerate, as additional shots become available and more locations begin to administer those doses, allowing more people access to the vaccine moving into spring.

Currently, Moderna and Pfizer are the only two companies with authorized vaccines in the US, but public-health experts are hopeful that once the Food and Drug Administration authorizes a third shot from Johnson & Johnson, vaccinations will start to speed up.

Insider reported that an FDA advisory committee will meet to discuss the company's request on February 26, and the shot could be approved a few days later.

Even as new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths slowly start to decline, experts are urging people to get vaccinated as quickly as possible ahead of the inevitable spread of new, more infectious variants.

Fauci told NBC News that scientists are taking the emerging variants seriously, but he is not worried.

"The sobering news is that it does spread more rapidly, we know that from the UK experience," Fauci told Guthrie. "The uplifting news is that the vaccines that we now have, the Moderna, and the Pfizer, and very likely the ones that will be coming online soon, seem to do well against this UK variant."

He emphasized that people should continue to take preventative measures like social distancing and proper mask-wearing.