ATLANTA, Sept. 29 (Nationwide Times) — For U.S. adults planning fall vaccinations, the CDC’s 2026–27 clinical guidance recommends a COVID-19 vaccine for everyone 18 and older. The agency also recommends a seasonal flu shot for everyone at least 6 months old. RSV vaccination has a narrower adult recommendation: everyone 75 and older, plus adults ages 50–74 at increased risk of severe RSV.
The three vaccines can be given at the same visit to people eligible for each one, according to the CDC. They can also be given at separate visits, with no minimum waiting period between them.
What does the COVID-19 guidance say about doses?
The CDC’s adult immunization schedule calls for at least one current COVID-19 vaccine dose for adults ages 19–64 and at least two doses for adults 65 and older. The American Academy of Family Physicians also recommends COVID-19 vaccination for adults 19 and older, with a second dose six months later for those 65 and older.
Those age cutoffs do not match exactly: the CDC’s 2026–27 clinical guidance starts at age 18, while its adult schedule and the family physicians’ recommendation start at 19. The CDC also says legal uncertainties have kept recommendations from its July 2025 immunization schedule in effect for the 2026–27 respiratory illness season. Its adult schedule notes that a preliminary court order stayed specified votes by a CDC vaccine advisory committee and a CDC decision memo. The CDC materials cited here do not clearly reconcile every difference among the pages.
What about children and people at higher risk?
For COVID-19, the CDC recommends vaccination for children ages 6 months through 17 years who have moderate to severe immunocompromise, meaning their immune systems have a reduced ability to fight infection. For other children, it calls for shared clinical decision-making — a discussion with a health care professional rather than a blanket recommendation.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID-19 vaccination for children ages 6–23 months and for older children at high risk or whose families want vaccination. The Infectious Diseases Society of America recommends COVID-19 and flu vaccination from age 6 months for people who are immunocompromised.
Who is recommended to get an RSV shot?
The CDC recommends one RSV vaccine dose for all adults 75 and older and for adults ages 50–74 at increased risk of severe illness. For infants, the CDC recommends protection through either vaccination during pregnancy or an RSV antibody given to the infant. An antibody provides protection without being a vaccine given to the infant.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends maternal RSV vaccination with Abrysvo from Sept. 1 through March 1. That is the group’s stated window, not a CDC window.
Will the shots be covered?
AHIP, an association of health insurers, said its member plans intend to cover updated COVID-19 vaccines in 2026–27. That statement does not establish the terms of every plan. The Department of Health and Human Services says uninsured adults may be able to get free vaccines through state or local health departments. The sources do not establish the precise coverage or eligibility terms for every vaccine product.
