Leading U.S. medical groups are urging people to get updated flu and COVID-19 vaccinations this fall, banding together Wednesday to issue shot guidelines -- and highlight the science behind them -- saying they hope to ease confusion caused by the Trump administration's changing advice.
Flu vaccinations are beginning and COVID-19 shots are starting to arrive after the FDA approved this year's updated versions last week. Winter also brings another vaccine-preventable risk in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Exactly who should get one or all of these vaccines, and when?
That advice usually comes from the CDC, with help from its independent advisers. But despite no new scientific evidence, Trump health officials last year began pulling back on some longstanding recommendations for fall virus protection and routine children's vaccinations. And the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which influences state and insurance vaccine policies, is caught in a court battle. The CDC didn't respond to questions about any new fall guidance.
Doctors' groups are filling the gap: the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) each released vaccination guidelines for their patient populations.
