The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2026-27 season, giving many Americans access to shots designed to better protect against the strains of the virus currently circulating. Health experts say the vaccines are especially important for older adults, who remain at higher risk for severe illness from the respiratory virus
The four vaccine approvals come as COVID cases are climbing in many areas of the U.S., especially the South and West. Manufacturers are expected to begin shipping the vaccines soon, and experts say they will become available in clinics and pharmacies in the coming days
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Here is what you need to know
Who should get an updated COVID vaccine?
Like last year, approval for the updated COVID-19 vaccines was more limited than in previous years, applying only to adults 65 and older and younger people with a condition that puts them at higher risk of severe illness from COVID
- Moderna’s Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine is approved for individuals 6 months through 64 years of age with at least one underlying condition that puts them at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19, and all adults 65 and older.
- Moderna’s mNEXSPIKE is approved for people ages 12 through 64 who have at least one underlying condition that puts them at high risk for severe COVID-19, and all adults 65 and older.
- Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty was approved for all adults age 65 and older, as well as in individuals ages 5 through 64 with at least one underlying condition that puts them at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19.
- Novavax-Sanofi’s Nuvaxovid was approved for individuals 65 and older, as well as people ages 12 to 64 who have at least one underlying health condition putting them at high risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes.
If that’s a lot to keep track of, know this: Leading medical organizations, such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association, continue to recommend that all adults get the updated shot. (The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends the vaccine for babies ages 6 to 23 months and older children whose parents want them protected.)
And it’s important to know that the list of underlying conditions that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says can put you at high risk for a severe case of COVID is wide-ranging. Age remains the strongest risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes, the CDC says, but many conditions — including asthma, diabetes, depression, obesity and physical inactivity — can also increase your risk of getting very sick and make you eligible for the vaccine
“In addition, anyone who wishes to receive the COVID vaccine should be able to do that” even if you don’t formally qualify, says Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. That’s because doctors can prescribe vaccines off-label.
