Doctors say they’re filling a void left by CDC on vaccines. Here’s what to know about flu, Covid-19 and RSV this fall

As Fall Respiratory Viruses Return, Medical Groups Step In Where Federal Guidance Has Gone Quiet

Goldlaner.com – Children are returning to classrooms across the country, and with them comes the familiar seasonal surge of influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and respiratory syncytial virus. For decades, Americans have relied on a single federal voice to tell them which shots to get, when to get them, and who qualifies. This autumn, that voice has been largely absent — prompting a coalition of major medical organizations to publish their own independent immunization guidance for the 2026–2027 season.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which historically anchors the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) process, has issued no new seasonal recommendations for RSV vaccination or updated Covid-19 immunization this year. On Tuesday, the agency posted a brief update to its flu-shot guidance page, confirming that the recommendations outlined in its July 2025 immunization schedule “remain in effect for the 2026-2027 influenza season.” Notably, that update makes no reference to the first mRNA-based influenza vaccine, which the US Food and Drug Administration cleared last month specifically for older adults.

The silence extends beyond flu. Last year, the CDC revised its Covid-19 vaccine language, moving away from a blanket recommendation toward a model in which patients are directed to consult a healthcare provider before receiving the shot. This season, no further update has appeared. The result: millions of Americans face the fall respiratory season without a clear, centralized federal roadmap for their immunization decisions.

Medical Organizations Fill the Gap

In response, the American Medical Association partnered with the University of Minnesota’s Vaccine Integrity Project to conduct independent reviews of this fall’s available vaccines — spanning influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and RSV. The resulting review papers were published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA. Those analyses directly informed a set of 2026–27 respiratory-virus immunization recommendations released the same day by four major professional bodies: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

The recommendations lay out, in practical terms, which vaccines are advised for which populations and identify the optimal timing for administration. Flu and RSV immunizations are already on shelves at major pharmacy chains, and updated Covid-19 formulations recently cleared by the FDA are rolling out into distribution.

Why the Federal Vacuum Matters

Dr. Bruce Gellin, board chair of the Vaccine Integrity Project and professor of medicine at Georgetown University, framed the situation at a Wednesday news briefing as a breakdown in a process that has operated continuously for over six decades.

“For more than 60 years, the United States has benefited from an established federal process for evaluating vaccine evidence and translating that science into recommendations for the American public. At the center of that process were the Centers for Disease Control and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the ACIP. Unfortunately today, the federal government is not fulfilling that responsibility in the way that it historically has. But the need for that work has not disappeared. Influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and the RSV viruses will circulate again this fall and winter. Clinicians will still have patients to care for. Parents will still have decisions to make for their children, and older Americans, pregnant women and people with underlying health conditions will still need to know how best to protect themselves. We cannot allow the breakdown of a federal process to create a vacuum in evidence-based vaccine guidance.”

The concern is not merely procedural. With a Trump executive order in place that critics argue signals a broader governmental retreat from vaccine promotion, physicians worry that families may interpret the absence of federal messaging as a signal to skip immunizations altogether. The medical groups’ public recommendations are designed to counter that misreading with clear, evidence-based language.

What the New Guidance Says for Specific Vaccines

RSV: Eligible groups include older adults, pregnant individuals, and infants. Dr. Sarah Nosal, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, specified that people aged 50 and older who carry high-risk conditions, along with everyone over 75, should receive a single dose. She emphasized that RSV vaccination is not an annual requirement: “This is not an annual vaccine. If you got one before, you do not need a new one this year. Getting one should protect you throughout the entire season.” For pregnant patients, the guidance recommends RSV immunization during the third trimester to pass protective antibodies to the newborn.

Influenza: The updated guidance aligns with the July 2025 schedule and continues to recommend seasonal flu vaccination broadly. The omission of the newly approved mRNA flu vaccine from the CDC’s brief update leaves clinicians without a federal position on that product, though the medical groups’ independent review addresses it separately.

Covid-19: Updated formulations have received FDA clearance and are entering pharmacy channels. The medical groups’ recommendations reflect the latest available evidence on updated shots while acknowledging the CDC’s shift toward individualized clinical decision-making.

Coverage and Practical Access

A practical question many readers face is cost. Nosal offered reassurance on that front: “And really reassuringly, insurers have indicated to the major groups that they will cover these respiratory virus immunizations.” That means most Americans with standard health insurance should not encounter out-of-pocket barriers to getting flu, RSV, or updated Covid-19 shots this season.

Nosal also underscored the broader stakes in a written statement: “Vaccines are one of medicine’s greatest success stories. They prevent serious illness, reduce hospitalizations and long-term complications and save lives. As federal guidance evolves, the science behind vaccines remains strong. These recommendations are grounded in the latest evidence, informed by public health experts and shaped by what family physicians are seeing every day in their patients.”

The US Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to requests for comment on the medical groups’ recommendations. Whether the federal government will re-engage with seasonal immunization guidance in coming weeks remains unclear. For now, the practical answer for patients and caregivers is straightforward: consult a primary-care physician, pediatrician, or obstetrician, and follow the evidence-based recommendations now published by the major professional societies.