There's hopeful news on the COVID vaccination front: according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, most people (beyond the limited early groups) could begin to get vaccinated starting in April, New York Times reports. "As we get into March and April, the number of available doses will allow for much more of a mass vaccination approach,” he told Savannah Guthrie on Today.
"I would imagine by the time we get to April, that will be what I would call, for better wording, 'open season,'" Fauci continued. "Namely, virtually everybody and anybody in any category could start to get vaccinated."
While it's too soon to be sure, that timeline seems to bode well for a previous prediction from Fauci, that concerts could return in the fall. We've begun to see festivals move their 2021 dates into September and October in anticipation, including Governors Ball, Summerfest, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Pitchfork Festival, and more. Stay tuned for updates.
Meanwhile, some musicians have already gotten vaccinated. One of them is Ozzy Osbourne, who had previously said, "If I don’t get the shot, there’s a good chance I ain’t going to be here." Appearing on ITV's Loose Women with Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy answered "of course" when asked if he'd gotten the vaccine. "It was like being stabbed," he said. "No, my arm was a bit sore yesterday but I’m glad I got it, you know."
"As soon as I got it I felt relieved," he continued.
Alice Cooper, who already contracted COVID earlier in the pandemic, shared a video message with AZ Central about getting vaccinated. "Everybody out here's been really nice. You don’t feel like you are in danger of anything," he said. He also joked that Team Rubicon, a nonprofit assisting with site management, was one of his favorite bands, saying, "I have all their albums. They're really one of the best bands I've ever heard ever."
Brian Wilson, Mavis Staples, Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys, and Nils Lofgren of The E Street Band and Crazy Horse have all gotten the vaccine, too. See posts from them below.
Filmmaker Spike Lee, meanwhile, got his vaccine on camera to encourage people in Black and brown communities to do the same. "I’m hoping that if my brothers and sisters see me getting the vaccine, that perhaps they’ll do some research and think about getting this vaccine because this is not a hoax," Lee told NYU Langone Health. You can watch the video on their site.
