Judge Ruling Stalls 2026-27 Vaccine Guidance as Trump Orders Child Shots Cut to 11
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 20
Judge Ruling Stalls 2026-27 Vaccine Guidance as Trump Orders Child Shots Cut to 11
1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 20
Summary
2026-27 U.S. covid and flu vaccine guidance is in limbo because a March federal ruling found HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. improperly replaced the CDC advisory panel that normally recommends who should get the shots.
The FDA has already picked the XFG strain for the next covid vaccine, selected flu strains and approved a new mRNA flu shot for people 50 and older, but ACIP's June meeting was canceled and no next meeting is set until October.
That gap could leave updated vaccines reaching pharmacies before CDC recommendations arrive, repeating last fall's patchwork access by state and confusion over insurance coverage.
Trump's separate executive order to cut recommended childhood vaccines from 18 to 11 and split MMR into three shots would add years of manufacturing and regulatory work because no standalone measles, mumps or rubella vaccines are currently licensed in the U.S.
A 2025 New Mexico measles outbreak cost nearly $5.4 million to contain—about $53,000 per case—underscoring the public-health and financial risks if vaccination rates fall further.