‘Where is the Sense of Urgency?’ CNN Medical Expert Goes After the U.S. Response to Covid, Implores Biden to Mandate Vaccines for Air Travel

A CNN medical expert is going after the White House for what he deems to be a lack of urgency in the U.S. response to Covid-19.

Appearing on CNN’s Inside Politics Sunday, Dr. Jonathan Reiner noted the current U.S. death toll from Covid, and questioned why the response, in his view, does not match that of previous American catastrophes.

“Sometime in the next two days we’re going to pass a terrible milestone in this country, when the 800,000th person in this country dies of this virus,” Reiner said. “This virus killed more people in this country than any single war has. The Civil War killed 655,000 Americans, we’re about to pass 800,000. But I don’t see a war footing. Where is the war footing? Where is the sense of urgency in this country?”

In particular, Reiner called on President Joe Biden to require vaccination for domestic air travel.

“The Biden administration should mandate vaccines for air travel in the United States,” Reiner said. “Vaccines are broadly popular in this country. Eighty-three precent of adults have been vaccinated. I can’t think of another public policy measure in this country where you have 83 percent agreement. So 17 percent of the United States essentially is blocking this notion of a broad vaccine mandate. But unless we get more people vaccinated, this virus is not going to go away.”

Reiner’s criticism comes days after the White House was slammed by many health experts for Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s incredulous response to a question proposing the U.S. send rapid tests to every American. Measures on that scale have been adopted in other countries including the U.K.. But despite a series of new measures announced by the president earlier this month, at-home Covid tests remain cost-prohibitive compared to other nations.

Watch above, via CNN.