CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen was critical of the CDC’s newly issued guidelines for people fully vaccinated against Covid-19, saying they were “overly cautious in a way that defies common sense.”
The new guidelines advise Americans who have been fully vaccinated that they can safely get along with other people who have also been vaccinated, and to refrain from quarantine after exposure to someone with Covid-19 as long as they are asymptomatic. However, the CDC still discouraged travel.
Wen told CNN Newsroom anchor Brooke Baldwin that she wished the guidelines went further than they did because the three vaccines approved by the FDA to date were all “ safe and extremely effective, especially in preventing serious illness, preventing hospitalization, and death ” for humans who have been vaccinated, and there was also “growing evidence that getting the vaccines also decreases the chance of being a carrier.”
Baldwin noted that many people, including herself, thought they could feel safe boarding a plane to see family members. “The airline industry today is really resisting these new CDC guidelines that fully vaccinated people should actually avoid travel. Why does the CDC encourage people who are fully vaccinated not to travel? “
“So this is one of these examples that I think the CDC is much overly cautious in a way that defies common sense,” Wen replied, “because look at what they say about quarantine,” noting that the CDC vaccinated people. Quarantine or even be tested after exposure, as long as they were asymptomatic.
“It just doesn’t make sense that you can’t travel, especially if you can get together with loved ones right now.”
Wen said she thought it was very important to provide better travel guidance because “a lot of people want to see their grandchildren with whom they don’t necessarily live with.”
Wen added, “I would really like to go further and say that people who are fully vaccinated should be able to travel, should be encouraged to travel,” using “restore the freedoms” as an incentive to encourage people get vaccinated.
Watch the video above, via CNN.
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