There is a two-step process behind every annual flu and COVID vaccine recommendation in the United States, and most Americans have never had reason to think about it — because it has always quietly worked. This year, the process has broken down in the middle, and understanding exactly where the gap is explains a genuinely confusing situation many readers will encounter this fall.
On May 28, 2026, the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted to recommend that the fall 2026–2027 COVID-19 vaccine target the XFG strain, and the FDA formally adopted that recommendation the following day. That part of the process — determining which strain the vaccine should target — is complete and settled.
