US medical groups urge updated vaccines for flu, COVID-19 and RSV amid policy shifts

A coalition of major US medical groups, including the AMA and American Academy of Pediatrics, issued guidance urging updated vaccines for flu, COVID-19, and RSV, saying high-quality evidence shows they reduce severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths and to provide clear recommendations amid shifting federal policy. The groups advise annual flu shots for everyone six months and older, updated COVID vaccines for healthy adults, children and pregnant people, and RSV vaccines for older adults, pregnant people, and infants under eight months. CDC data for the 2025-2026 season show influenza caused roughly 32–52 million cases with about 390,000 hospitalizations and 24,000 deaths; COVID-19 caused about 4.6–12.9 million cases with 140,000–240,000 hospitalizations and 15,000–42,000 deaths; RSV led to 2.8–5.8 million outpatient visits with up to 25,000 deaths.