Fall brings many new changes, including a new school year and a surge of respiratory illnesses. With little direction from the federal government, many people are confused about whether they need a flu, COVID-19, or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine.

To fill the information void, the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP, publisher of CIDRAP News), and the American Medical Association (AMA) published the results of their independent evidence review of the influenza, COVID-19, and RSV vaccines today in JAMA. 

Filling in gaps left by federal vaccine-process breakdown

“We are living in unprecedented times when it comes to modern vaccine review and recommendation,” said Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, CIDRAP director and coauthor of an accompanying commentary. “The VIP program will never replace ACIP [Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices]. In the interim, it’s the stopgap measure that allows us to continue recommending these vaccines based on a comprehensive review of both effectiveness and safety.” 

During a press briefing yesterday on the evidence reviews, four of the country’s major medical organizations—the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)— provided their vaccine recommendations for the 2026-27 respiratory illness season.

“We cannot allow the breakdown of a federal process to create a vacuum in evidence-based vaccine guidance,” Bruce Gellin, MD, MPH, chair of the VIP Board of Advisors, said during the briefing. 

“Americans are hearing conflicting messages about vaccines right now, and it’s understandable that people are asking whom they should trust,” he added. “I would encourage them to look at the process behind the development of these recommendations.” 

What the science says 

The VIP Evidence Review team, co-led by Nicole Basta, PhD, examined studies that reviewed all licensed or approved products in the United States designed to prevent COVID-19, flu, and RSV, with a focus on safety, effectiveness, and epidemiology.