The US Food and Drug Administration has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2026-27 season, clearing four products that target the variant expected to circulate this winter.
The approvals cover Pfizer-BioNTech's Comirnaty, Moderna's Spikevax and mNEXSPIKE, and Novavax's Nuvaxovid. All are formulated against XFG, a variant in the JN.1 lineage that the FDA's vaccine advisory committee recommended in May as the preferred target for a monovalent shot.
Who is covered
The vaccines are approved for adults aged 65 and older, and for younger people with at least one underlying condition that raises the risk of severe COVID-19. Age limits for the younger group differ by product: Comirnaty is cleared down to age 5 for children with a high-risk condition, while the other products cover ages 12 and up in that category.
Pfizer said shipping would begin immediately. Moderna and Novavax are expected to follow in the coming weeks as doses move through distributors.
Why the target changed
Federal advisers review circulating variants each spring and pick a strain for the fall formula. XFG displaced earlier JN.1 descendants over the past year, and health officials said the updated shots should better match what is spreading now. COVID-19 hospitalizations have risen in parts of the country in recent weeks, though far below pandemic-era peaks.
The guidance picture
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its recommendations from the July 2025 immunization schedule remain in effect for the 2026-27 respiratory season, citing legal uncertainty around newer federal guidance. That means the shots are recommended for older adults and others at high risk, while patients outside those groups are advised to discuss the decision with a clinician.
Public health groups welcomed the approvals but said uptake will depend on access and messaging. Last season, a large share of adults eligible for an updated dose did not get one, and pharmacies reported uneven demand. Manufacturers have said they are producing fewer doses than in previous years and will adjust supply based on orders.