CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner Applauds Employers, Colleges Requiring Covid-19 Shots: ‘It’s Time to Start Mandating Vaccines’

Sarah RumpfJul 8th, 2021, 9:29 pm
 

CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner told Erin Burnett Thursday that he believed it was “time to start mandating vaccines” — and recognizing that while the government could not do so, he applauded efforts by employers, colleges, and other private organizations to require the Covid-19 vaccine.

Burnett introduced the segment by mentioning the news that Pfizer would be filming for emergency use authorization for a third booster shot, in part to increase efficacy against the highly contagious delta variant.

“There’s still a third of the population in the United States that hasn’t got a single dose” of the vaccine, said Burnett, and the Biden administration has said that “it’s not their role to mandate people get vaccinated,” instead going for a persuasive message. She played a montage of President Joe Biden and several members of his administration urging Americans to “please get vaccinated now.”

“Given where things are going, is it time to move on from saying please to mandating?” Burnett asked.

“I do think it’s time to start mandating vaccines,” Reiner replied. “And I think that the private industry and private organizations will do that. At GW university where I work, starting in fall, you can’t be on campus unless you’re fully vaccinated.”

Currently, Reiner said, 75 million adults in the U.S. have chosen not to get vaccinated. “That choice has consequences. Now, we can’t force you to take a jab in the arm. But there are many jobs, perhaps, that can prevent you from working if you decide not to get vaccinated. So I think we need to be more proactive and we will see industry take the lead in this.”

Watch the video above, via CNN.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law & Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on the BBC, MSNBC, NewsNation, Fox 35 Orlando, Fox 7 Austin, The Young Turks, The Dean Obeidallah Show, and other television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe.