CNN medical analysts say life 'needs to be hard' for Americans who don't get the vaccine, call for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations

CNN medical analysts are taking a hardline approach to COVID-19 vaccinations. The cable news contributors are calling for mandatory coronavirus vaccinations, and say that life "needs to be hard" for Americans who don't get the COVID-19 vaccine.

"What really need to do at this point is to make vaccination the easy choice. It needs to be hard for people to remain unvaccinated," Leana Wen said during a Saturday appearance on CNN. "Right now, it's kind of the opposite. It's easy if you're unvaccinated, you can do everything you want to do anyway."

Wen, the former president of Planned Parenthood, said unvaccinated Americans should be subjected to more stringent restrictions.

"But at some point these mandates, by workplaces, by schools, I think it will be important to say, 'Hey, you can opt out, but if you want to opt out, you have to sign these forms, you have to get twice weekly testing,'" Wen said. "Basically, we need to make getting vaccinated the easy choice."

Last week, Wen called for President Joe Biden "to get behind vaccine requirements."

Wen wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post calling for Biden to mandate vaccinations nationally, and scolded him for not using the White House Independence Day event to spread the message that getting vaccinated is not an "individual decision."

"The celebration could have been a chance to show that vaccination isn't just an individual decision, but one that affects the health of others — including those already vaccinated," Wen wrote, according to Fox News.

In April, Wen urged the Biden administration to "tie reopening policy to vaccination status." Wen said that government needs to tell Americans, "If you are vaccinated, you can do all these things. Here are all these freedoms that you have."

Also in April, Wen proclaimed that businesses should only be allowed to return back at full capacity if "they are checking for proof of vaccination."

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, another CNN medical analyst, petitioned for mandatory vaccinations — starting with private businesses.

"I do think it's time to start mandating vaccines," Reiner told CNN host Erin Burnett on Friday. "And I think that private industry and private organizations will do that."

"75 million adults have chosen to not get vaccinated and that choice has consequences," Reiner added. "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 I think we will see industry take the lead on this," he concluded.