CNN Medical Analyst Criticizes New CDC Guidelines for Vaccinated People: ‘Overly Cautious in a Way That Defies Common Sense’

CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen was critical of the CDC’s newly issued guidelines for people who have been 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 gather safely with other people who are also vaccinated, and refrain from quarantining after being exposed to someone with Covid-19, as long as they are asymptomatic. However, the CDC was still discouraging travel.

Wen told CNN Newsroom anchor Brooke Baldwin that she wished the guidelines had gone further than they did, because the three vaccines that had been authorized by the FDA so far were all “safe and extremely effective, especially at preventing severe disease, preventing hospitalization and death” for people who are vaccinated, and there was also “growing evidence that getting the vaccines also reduces your likelihood of being a carrier.”

Baldwin commented that many people, including herself, were thinking they could feel safe getting on a plane to see family members. “The airline industry today is really pushing back against these new CDC guidelines that fully vaccinated people should actually still avoid travel. Why is the CDC encouraging people who have been fully vaccinated not to travel?”

“So this is one of these examples where I think the CDC is being far overly cautious in a way that defies common sense,” Wen replied, “because look at what they are saying about quarantine,” noting that the CDC was not encouraging vaccinated people to quarantine or even get tested after an exposure as long as they were asymptomatic.

“It just doesn’t make sense that you can’t travel, especially if you can now get together with loved ones.”

Wen said that she felt it was very important to give better guidance about travel, because “a lot of people are eager to see their grandkids who they don’t necessarily live with.”

In fact, Wen added, “I actually would go further and say that people who are fully vaccinated should be able to travel, should be encouraged to travel,” using “restoring freedoms” as an incentive to encourage people to get vaccinated.

Watch the video above, via CNN.