US doctors seek to fill gap amid "confusing" White House vaccine guidance

A coalition of leading US medical organizations has issued independent guidance on vaccinations against influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), seeking to fill a gap created by federal recommendations that are perceived as going against science-based guidelines.

The coalition, which includes the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics, has urged the public to stay up to date with vaccinations against several respiratory illnesses, diverging from the current position of the US government, as American media outlets report.

“The latest high-quality scientific evidence found that these immunisations continue to provide meaningful protection against severe illness, hospitalisation and death,” the groups said in a statement accompanying their guidelines, published on September 2.

The coalition said it aimed to reduce the “confusion and chaos” caused by the lack of updated federal vaccine recommendations. It also noted that recent scientific research had identified no new safety concerns related to vaccines against the viruses.

“Patients need and deserve vaccine recommendations that are clear, credible, and based on the best available scientific evidence, so they can make informed vaccine decisions for themselves and for their families,” AMA president-elect Sandra Fryhofer said at a news conference.

She added that the coalition’s independent review had been published online so “the public has clear, consistent, science-based guidance even while the federal process is in flux”.

Such recommendations have traditionally been issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with input from its independent advisers. The agency served as the White House’s primary source of expert advice on vaccination, social distancing and other public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the administration of US President Donald Trump has undertaken a broad overhaul of American vaccine policy, rolling back several longstanding recommendations for virus protection and routine childhood vaccinations.

Among the changes are recommendations concerning the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns and COVID-19 vaccination for US residents aged over six months.

Medical associations have repeatedly opposed measures introduced under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been widely described as a vaccine sceptic after publicly questioning aspects of vaccine contents and clinical trials. The groups have argued that the policy changes conflict with the scientific consensus.

A federal judge subsequently suspended many of the administration’s measures, ruling in March that the federal government had failed to follow science-based procedures. The decision has also disrupted the work of the expert panel advising the CDC on vaccination recommendations.

So far this year, the federal government has issued updated guidance only for the influenza shot, extending its recommendations from the previous year.

Newly published guidelines

The medical groups’ new guidance recommends an annual influenza vaccine for everyone aged six months and older. It also recommends updated COVID-19 vaccines for healthy adults, young children and pregnant women, as well as RSV immunisations for older adults, pregnant women and children younger than eight months.

According to preliminary CDC estimates, the US recorded between 4.6 million and 12.9 million COVID-19 cases during the 2025-2026 period, resulting in an estimated 140,000 to 240,000 hospitalisations and between 15,000 and 42,000 deaths.

RSV was estimated to have caused between 2.8 million and 5.8 million outpatient visits, between 170,000 and 340,000 hospitalisations, and as many as 25,000 deaths.

The burden of influenza and COVID-19 declined during the 2025-2026 season compared with the previous year, while RSV activity remained relatively stable.

By Nazrin Sadigova