As the Trump administration continues to offer conflicting messages about vaccines, top medical groups are stepping in to ease confusion with a set of independent recommendations.
The guidelines were released via a partnership between leading medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).
Some of these, like the ACOG and AAP, had already released their own recommendations about specific vaccines in the past year after the Trump administration limited COVID vaccine recommendations in 2025 and issued a memo in January 2026 removing universal recommendations for childhood vaccines that protect against flu and a handful of other diseases, including meningococcal disease, COVID-19 and hepatitis A and B.
A federal judge blocked some of these changes in March, specifically those concerning COVID-19 and Hep B immunizations, a decision the Department of Health and Human Services vowed to appeal. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order “calling for more vaccine flexibility and research” and fewer childhood vaccinations, repeating unsupported claims about vaccines without evidence.
Research done by the University of Minnesota’s Vaccine Integrity Project, an independent group of vaccine and public health experts, in tandem with the American Medical Association, helped inform the newly released independent guidelines. The organizations conducted an evidence review of nearly 300 eligible, peer-reviewed studies on vaccines, which was then published in the journal JAMA.
“The American public deserves clear, credible information – based on the best available scientific evidence – when making decisions about vaccination,” said AMA President-elect Dr. Sandra Adamson Fryhofer in a press release. “The latest evidence reviews and recommendations are the result of our shared commitment across clinical medicine, science and public health to ensure vaccine recommendations are grounded in sound evidence and developed through a transparent process.”
Flu vaccines
The medical associations’ guidelines for flu vaccines are consistent with what the CDC has historically recommended:
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Everyone aged six months or older (including pregnant people) should get the shot yearly, with a few exceptions for people with certain medical conditions.
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People 65+ should recieve a higher dose, if possible.
Like many vaccines, flu immunization doesn’t guarantee you won’t get sick. Rather, it reduces the likelihood of serious illness or hospitalization in everyone, but especially in people more vulnerable to severe symptoms, such as children, older adults and those with compromised immune systems. People with chronic or underlying health issues, including asthma and diabetes, are also at higher risk.
The Vaccine Integrity Project’s research review found that:
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Vaccination reduced hospitalizations related to the flu by 31% in people aged 65 and older.
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The shot was 80% effective in preventing influenza-associated deaths among children and adolescents, though this data only included laboratory-confirmed cases, which generally only represent a fraction of actual cases.
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When a person is immunized during pregnancy, the risk of symptomatic disease fell by 44% in their newborns up to 6 months old.
Despite the Trump administration’s back-and-forth on vaccine recommendations, the CDC’s page on the flu vaccine also said, “Everyone 6 months and older in the United States, with rare exception, should get a flu vaccine every season,” as of its last update on Sept. 1. “Flu vaccination has been shown to have many benefits, including reducing the risk of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and even the risk of flu-related death,” it continued.
Adults aged 65 and older should opt for one of the three “higher-dose” flu vaccines when possible: a Fluzone High-Dose flu vaccine, Flublok Recombinant flu vaccine and Fluad Adjuvanted flu vaccine, according to the AMA and CDC.
The new mRNA flu vaccine is also an option, as it was found in one study to be 27% more effective at protecting against illnesses in older adults than a standard shot. It was approved by the FDA in August for people over 50.
Medical groups are looking to ease confusion around vaccines amid a tumultuous two years of changes.
COVID-19 vaccines
Until last year, the COVID-19 vaccine had a similar blanket recommendation for most people. In May 2025, Kennedy announced that the shot would no longer be included in the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women, a move breaking with expert guidance.
Subsequent FDA approvals greenlit a new round of COVID vaccines, but only for individuals 65 or older and people below that age with existing health conditions that increase their risk. This was the case again in 2026, when the FDA formally approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the above-mentioned groups.
As of Sept. 3, the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine page said the agency “recommends a 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 6 months and older based on individual-based decision-making,” also known as “shared clinical decision-making.” This means a vaccine or treatment isn’t routinely recommended for everyone, but may be appropriate for some people after discussing the benefits and risks with a healthcare provider.
The medical associations suggest an annual COVID-19 vaccine for:
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All children aged 6-23 months.
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Children aged 2-18 years in certain risk groups or if desired.
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All adults aged 19 through 64, including pregnant people.
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Adults 65 and older, who should receive an annual updated COVID-19 vaccine and a second dose 6 months later.
The Vaccine Integrity Project’s research review found that:
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Updated COVID-19 vaccination was 53% effective against hospitalization among adults age 65 and older.
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Updated vaccination reduced hospitalization among adults ages 18 through 64 by approximately half.
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Vaccination reduced COVID-related ER v isits by 76% in children aged 9 months to 4 years.
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In the first two months of life, babies born to vaccinated mothers were 50%-54% less likely to have a COVID-related hospital visit.
RSV vaccines
Vaccination for RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is usually targeted toward the highest-risk groups: infants and older adults. It can be especially important during pregnancy, as its benefits extend to infants upon birth.
RSV is a respiratory illness that can cause typical cold-like symptoms for some, but can quickly turn deadly for vulnerable groups. Recommendations around RSV haven’t been subject to the same recent changes as other vaccines, so advice has remained mostly consistent.
The medical associations suggest a one-time vaccine for:
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Pregnant people between 32 and 36 weeks pregnant, given between Sept. 1 and March 1.
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If the mother was not vaccinated, infants younger than 8 months should recieve nirsevimab, which is not a vaccine but a monoclonal antibody shot. (A vaccine teaches your immune system to fight a virus, whereas a monoclonal antibody provides the virus-fighting antibodies directly.)
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Children 8-19 months in certain risk groups.
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Adults aged 50-74 who are at increased risk.
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All adults aged 75 or older.
The Vaccine Integrity Project’s research review found that:
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Vaccination reduced RSV-related hospitalization by 69% to 83% in adults aged 60 or older.
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Maternal RSV vaccination reduced RSV-related infant hospitalizations by 51% to 70%.
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Nirsevimab administration to infants reduced RSV-related hospitalizations by approximately 66% to 93% within six months after immunization.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What top doctors now recommend for COVID, flu, RSV vaccines
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