CNN Medical Analyst Tells Airline Travelers to ‘Skip the Small Glass of Soda’ in Order to Keep Their Mask On

CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner told airline travelers who have not received Covid booster shots to take a series of precautions, including skipping any complimentary soda to avoid temporarily removing their mask mid-flight.

Asked by CNN host Pamela Brown about recommendations for traveling, Reiner replied that “you need to assess your own vulnerability.”

“If you are not boosted, you are not fully vaccinated,” he said. “And if you’re not fully vaccinated, you need a really good mask.”

He recommended that all travelers use a KN95 mask and avoid removing it when flying, before listing a few other suggestions.

“When you’re on an airplane, I would skip the small glass of soda,” Reiner said. “Leave your mask on during the flight. And open the air vent above you to improve air flow around you. And keep some hand sanitizer.”

During the interview, Reiner also rebuked the messaging around booster shots from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, telling Brown they did not stress the importance of receiving a booster enough.

“The message from the CDC should be that everyone…who received a shot more than six months ago, should go out and get boosted,” Reiner said. “Not may [get boosted].”

“If you come to see me in the office and ask me what to do, I don’t say ‘well you can do that,'” Reiner continued. “I give you my recommendation, and the recommendation for all Americans should be to get boosted.”

The CDC announced on Friday that any adult would be eligible for a Covid booster shot, if they received their second dose more than six months ago.

Watch above, via CNN