FDA approves updated Covid-19 vaccines
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
FDA approved updated Covid-19 vaccines for the dominant XFG variant on Thursday. The shots target older adults and high-risk younger people, but insurance coverage remains unclear.
Background
The FDA approved updated Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna, Novavax-Sanofi, and Pfizer-BioNTech on Thursday, allowing manufacturers to begin shipping doses. The vaccines are designed to target the dominant XFG variant and are approved for people 65 and older and younger individuals with underlying conditions. This comes after an advisory panel recommended the shots, but the CDC's vaccine panel has been in limbo since a March court ruling, leaving questions about insurance coverage and official recommendations.
How it unfolded
- Mar 2026A judge blocked health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr's appointment of vaccine advisors to the CDC panel, leaving the panel in limbo.
- early Jul 2026CDC data showed XFG.1.1 as the predominant coronavirus strain causing illness in the US.
- Aug 27, 2026FDA approved updated Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna, Novavax-Sanofi, and Pfizer-BioNTech, allowing manufacturers to begin shipping doses.
Who’s saying what
- FDA
- The FDA approved the updated vaccines to target the dominant XFG variant and protect high-risk groups.
- CDC
- The CDC recommends immunizations based on individual decision-making, but has not issued updated recommendations for the 2026-27 season.
- Insurers
- Insurers are typically required to cover recommended vaccines, but it's unclear if they will cover these shots without a CDC panel recommendation.
Still unverified
It is unclear whether insurers will cover the updated Covid-19 vaccines, as the CDC advisory panel has not issued recommendations.