Independent vaccine recommendations were issued Wednesday by leading medical organizations, urging Americans to stay current on COVID-19, flu and RSV shots as the fall respiratory season approaches. The analyses behind the guidance found the latest vaccines remain very safe and strongly protective against severe illness, hospitalization and death.
Independent vaccine recommendations and fall guidance
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, people should continue to get immunized. The groups’ advice is intended to fill a gap left by the absence of updated federal guidance this year.
The organizations recommend broader use of vaccines than current federal advice, including routine COVID vaccination for healthy younger adults, young children and pregnant people. Bruce Gelin of the University of Minnesota’s Vaccine Integrity Project said the goal is to ensure evidence-based guidance is available despite federal delays.
Federal vaccine guidelines in limbo
In a typical season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would update how best to deploy vaccines. That process is currently stalled because of litigation over an administration effort to pare back childhood immunizations.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attempted to reduce the number of routine childhood shots, a step the White House recently tried to revive. Those claims, which suggest too many vaccines or a link to autism, are widely rejected by mainstream physicians and public health experts.
While the CDC this week extended 2025 flu recommendations into the current season, there has been no new federal advice for other shots. Some former federal officials and medical leaders warned that the lack of clear national messaging could undermine public confidence and leave people less protected ahead of expected winter surges.
Insurance coverage for vaccines appears intact
CDC recommendations often guide insurance coverage, pharmacy access and federal supply programs. Even without new federal guidance, most private insurers say they will continue paying for these immunizations, Medicare coverage remains in place, and the Vaccines for Children Program is still expected to provide doses at no cost for eligible kids.
Many states have also allowed pharmacists to administer vaccines based on recommendations from medical groups, which should keep access largely uninterrupted, though a few states may still require prescriptions.
A group effort to analyze vaccine data
The independent vaccine recommendations draw on reviews published in JAMA that assessed thousands of recent studies on COVID, RSV and flu shots. The Vaccine Integrity Project partnered with the American Medical Association to synthesize the evidence, which informed updated guidance from multiple professional societies.
Recent federal changes had narrowed eligibility for some COVID-19 vaccinations by focusing on adults 65 and older and people with certain medical risks, and by no longer recommending routine shots for healthy young children and pregnant women. The new independent guidance diverges on several points:
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists continues to urge COVID vaccination for those who are pregnant, planning pregnancy or breastfeeding, citing benefits for both parent and newborn.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID vaccination for all infants and children ages 6 through 23 months, for children 2 to 18 at higher risk for complications, and for any child 2 to 18 whose caregivers choose vaccination.
- The pediatrics group also supports RSV immunization for infants under 8 months entering their first RSV season if the parent was not vaccinated during pregnancy, and extends recommendations to some children 8 to 19 months at elevated risk entering a second season. Annual flu shots are advised for everyone 6 months and older.
- The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends all adults 19 and older receive an updated COVID shot, with a second dose after six months for those 65 and older. It also advises annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older.
For the first time, people 50 and older will have access to an mRNA-based flu vaccine, which may offer stronger protection than traditional shots, though it can cause more mild side effects.
Timing depends on individual risk. Those at higher risk, or planning travel or large gatherings, may want to vaccinate at least two weeks beforehand.
Others may wait until later in the fall to maximize protection during the winter holidays, when infections often peak.
Medical experts praised the independent effort but cautioned that the ongoing lack of federal guidance could still cause confusion and depress vaccination rates. Health leaders emphasized that vaccines remain a cornerstone of preventing severe respiratory disease, especially as COVID and flu activity trend upward heading into fall.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, people should continue to get immunized. The groups’ advice is intended to fill a gap left by the absence of updated federal guidance this year.
The organizations recommend broader use of vaccines than current federal advice, including routine COVID vaccination for healthy younger adults, young children and pregnant people. Bruce Gelin of the University of Minnesota’s Vaccine Integrity Project said the goal is to ensure evidence-based guidance is available despite federal delays.
In a typical season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would update how best to deploy vaccines. That process is currently stalled because of litigation over an administration effort to pare back childhood immunizations. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attempted to reduce the number of routine childhood shots, a step the White House recently tried to revive. Those claims, which suggest too many vaccines or a link to autism, are widely rejected by mainstream physicians and public health experts.
While the CDC this week extended 2025 flu recommendations into the current season, there has been no new federal advice for other shots. Some former federal officials and medical leaders warned that the lack of clear national messaging could undermine public confidence and leave people less protected ahead of expected winter surges.
CDC recommendations often guide insurance coverage, pharmacy access and federal supply programs. Even without new federal guidance, most private insurers say they will continue paying for these immunizations, Medicare coverage remains in place, and the Vaccines for Children Program is still expected to provide doses at no cost for eligible kids. Many states have also allowed pharmacists to administer vaccines based on recommendations from medical groups, which should keep access largely uninterrupted, though a few states may still require prescriptions.
The independent vaccine recommendations draw on reviews published in JAMA that assessed thousands of recent studies on COVID, RSV and flu shots. The Vaccine Integrity Project partnered with the American Medical Association to synthesize the evidence, which informed updated guidance from multiple professional societies.
Recent federal changes had narrowed eligibility for some COVID-19 vaccinations by focusing on adults 65 and older and people with certain medical risks, and by no longer recommending routine shots for healthy young children and pregnant women. The new independent guidance diverges on several points:
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists continues to urge COVID vaccination for those who are pregnant, planning pregnancy or breastfeeding, citing benefits for both parent and newborn.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID vaccination for all infants and children ages 6 through 23 months, for children 2 to 18 at higher risk for complications, and for any child 2 to 18 whose caregivers choose vaccination.
- The pediatrics group also supports RSV immunization for infants under 8 months entering their first RSV season if the parent was not vaccinated during pregnancy, and extends recommendations to some children 8 to 19 months at elevated risk entering a second season. Annual flu shots are advised for everyone 6 months and older.
- The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends all adults 19 and older receive an updated COVID shot, with a second dose after six months for those 65 and older. It also advises annual flu vaccination for everyone 6 months and older.
For the first time, people 50 and older will have access to an mRNA-based flu vaccine, which may offer stronger protection than traditional shots, though it can cause more mild side effects.
Timing depends on individual risk. Those at higher risk, or planning travel or large gatherings, may want to vaccinate at least two weeks beforehand. Others may wait until later in the fall to maximize protection during the winter holidays, when infections often peak.
Medical experts praised the independent effort but cautioned that the ongoing lack of federal guidance could still cause confusion and depress vaccination rates. Health leaders emphasized that vaccines remain a cornerstone of preventing severe respiratory disease, especially as COVID and flu activity trend upward heading into fall.
