Updated COVID-19 vaccines matched to the XFG variant were approved on August 27 and began shipping the same day, putting new doses in pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics across the country within days. Pfizer and BioNTech confirmed approval of their 2026-2027 formula, and Moderna and the Novavax-Sanofi partnership announced approvals of their own updated shots.
What did not arrive alongside the vaccines is a federal statement on who should get one. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the panel that normally converts an FDA approval into a public recommendation and a coverage guarantee, has been without a functioning quorum since a court ruling in March. That leaves the practical decision to patients, their clinicians, and their pharmacists.
