This winter, your flu shot recommendation may stem more from your doctor’s advice rather than solely from federal guidance. Traditionally, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has been the authority advising on who should receive annual vaccines for respiratory viruses like the flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

However, the American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s largest physicians’ organization, is initiating its own independent review process to evaluate vaccine safety and efficacy for the upcoming winter virus season. This development marks a shift in how vaccine recommendations might be determined in the future.

The AMA has announced its collaboration with the Vaccine Integrity Project to establish a comprehensive, evidence-based review. This process aims to assess the safety and effectiveness of vaccines specifically for the 2026–27 respiratory virus season. Their goal is to enhance transparency and ensure that decisions on vaccines are grounded in solid evidence.

Despite this new approach, the FDA will continue to hold the responsibility of approving vaccines as safe and effective for use in the United States. The AMA’s initiative is designed to complement the existing regulatory framework by adding an additional layer of scrutiny and transparency to vaccine recommendations.

Federal regulators will still decide whether vaccines are safe and effective enough to be used in the US, which is decided by the FDA.

Representatives of the AMA said their new review process was needed to ensure the US had a ‘transparent, evidence-based process by which vaccine recommendations are made.’

It comes after the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr-appointed ACIP made a flurry of controversial vaccine recommendations that have alarmed some physicians.

In December, the committee voted to end the universal advice that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.

Doctors may soon be using recommendations from independent scientific bodies to determine vaccine policy (stock image)

In September, it voted to end recommendations for the combined measles and chickenpox vaccine and said that the Covid vaccine should no longer be recommended to individuals six months and instead administered based on ‘individual decision-making’.

Federal officials have defended the moves, arguing the viruses pose a lower risk to certain groups and that the changes bring the US more into line with developed nations.

But critics have warned that the decisions could lead to more cases of preventable illnesses, deaths and could undermine confidence in public health.

Updated versions of the flu, Covid and RSV vaccines are distributed in the US every year to trigger protection against new strains of the viruses. 

Previously, the Covid and flu vaccines have been recommended for everyone ages six months and over, while the RSV vaccine has been recommended for all adults over 75, and all those over 50 years old with certain underlying conditions.

About 120million Americans get the flu shot annually, data suggests, or about 46 percent of the adult population, while 45million, or 17 percent, get the annual flu shot and 12.8million adults over 60 years old get the annual RSV vaccine.

In its release on Tuesday, the AMA said that after convening representatives from medical organizations and public health bodies, its team would then analyze data on the vaccines to understand their risks and benefits for all groups, including children and pregnant women.

It said its data would then be provided to medical organizations to help them develop and share guidance on who should receive a vaccination.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr is pictured above at an event in Washington, DC, on February 11 this year

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is pictured on September 19. The panel was reappointed by Robert F Kennedy Jr

This would include guidance for pregnant women, children, older adults and adults who have weakened immune systems.

The AMA said its review process mirrored that at the federal government, but said that the official process had now ‘effectively collapsed.’

Dr Sandra Fryhofer, an AMA Trustee, said in a release: ‘It is our duty as healthcare professionals to work across medicine, science and public health to make sure the US has a transparent, evidence-based process by which vaccine recommendations are made.

‘Together, we are committed to ensuring the American public has clear, evidence-based guidance that inspires confidence when making important vaccination decisions.’

Dr Michael Osterholm, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Minnesota, added: ‘Respiratory viruses hospitalize and kill tens of thousands of Americans every year, and vaccine decisions must be guided by facts, not politics or ideology.

‘Our goal is to build on our efforts to restore peace of mind for clinicians and patients by ensuring that experts are continuously evaluating vaccine safety and effectiveness using transparent, evidence-based methods.’

The organization is separate from the West Coast Health Alliance and Northeast Public Health Collaborative, set up by Democrat-leaning states in September 2025 to issue alternative vaccine advice nationwide.

ACIP typically makes its annual recommendation for who should receive the flu, Covid or RSV vaccines in late summer or early August. This is to align with the release of updated shots.

Earlier this month, the FDA declined to review a new potential mRNA flu vaccine from Moderna, citing problems with the company’s scientific data. It used the same technology as that for the Covid vaccines.

According to CDC estimates, influenza vaccination alone prevented nearly 10 million illnesses, about 120,000 hospitalizations, and nearly 8,000 deaths during the 2023–24 season. 

Yet almost 300 children died from influenza last flu season, the vast majority of whom were unvaccinated. 

Covid vaccination continues to significantly reduce hospitalization risk among older adults and other high-risk populations, and RSV immunization continues to yield strong protective results for older adults and the youngest Americans.