The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved updated versions of COVID-19 vaccines, allowing manufacturers to begin shipping doses to pharmacies and doctors' offices across the country. This was reported by infohub.kz.
On Thursday, the FDA approved updated vaccines from Moderna, Novavax-Sanofi, and Pfizer-BioNTech. This decision came after an advisory panel recommended that the shots target the dominant XFG variant.
All manufacturers had previously stated that they could produce the updated shots in time for the 2026-27 immunization season. The vaccines are approved for individuals aged 65 and older, and for younger individuals with underlying conditions that put them at greater risk of severe outcomes from a COVID-19 infection. For younger people with such conditions, age approvals vary by manufacturer: the Moderna shot is approved for children older than six months, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those aged five and older, and Novavax-Sanofi for those aged 12 and up.
Last fall, the Trump administration moved away from recommending COVID-19 vaccines to everyone, causing confusion over who was eligible to receive the shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends the immunizations based on individual decision-making.
It remains unclear when or whether the administration will issue updated recommendations for the 2026-27 immunization season, as the CDC advisory panel has been in limbo since a March court ruling blocked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s appointment of a slate of vaccine advisors to the panel.
The absence of a functioning CDC vaccine panel also raises questions about whether insurers will cover the updated shots. Insurers are typically required to cover vaccines recommended by the panel, but it is unclear what they will do if there is no recommendation.
According to CDC data, current COVID-19 activity is low but rising in recent weeks, as tracked through testing and wastewater monitoring.