Independent Review Affirms Current COVID-19, RSV, and Flu Vaccine Guidelines for 2025-26 Season
A comprehensive, independent assessment of the latest vaccine data for COVID-19, RSV, and influenza has reinforced existing recommendations from public health officials, offering reassurance as the 2025-26 respiratory virus season approaches. The review, conducted by the newly launched Vaccine Integrity Project, found no evidence to support changes to current immunization guidelines.
A New Era of Independent Vaccine Assessment
Launched in April 2025 from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, the Vaccine Integrity Project was established to “safeguard vaccine use in the US” and foster collaboration across the immunization landscape. This initiative comes at a pivotal moment, as federal advisory processes undergo shifts within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The project’s independence is a key differentiator. The review was conducted entirely outside of the traditional HHS and ACIP structures, aiming to provide a rigorous and unbiased synthesis of current evidence. More than two dozen experts contributed to the assessment, including 10 members of CIDRAP.
Former CDC Official Spearheads Effort
A key figure behind the project is Kevin Griffis, who served as spokesperson and previously held the position of director of the office of communications at the CDC. Griffis resigned from the CDC in March, citing a belief that “public health policy must always be guided by facts and not fantasy.” He explained to Contagion that the review, which analyzed 511 studies published since the most recent ACIP evaluations, “did not find data to support changes to previous ACIP COVID immunization guidelines.”
The project’s scope extended beyond simply reviewing data. According to Griffis, the Vaccine Integrity Project actively shared its findings with leading medical societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American College of Physicians (ACP). The IDSA, in particular, utilized and credited the project’s review when formulating recommendations for vaccine use in immunocompromised individuals.
Focus on Data, Not Policy
The lead author of the review, Jake Scott, MD, from Stanford University School of Medicine, emphasized the project’s deliberate focus on evidence synthesis rather than policy recommendations. “We intentionally limited our scope to the data rather than policy recommendations or coverage decisions,” Scott stated. “The evidence we synthesized supports the continued safety and effectiveness of these vaccines in the populations studied, but translating that evidence into specific recommendations involves considerations beyond our review’s scope.”
The project’s goal, Scott explained, was to provide clinicians and health professionals with a robust, independent analysis of recent vaccine data during a period of transition in advisory processes. He expressed hope that this evidence base will inform clinical decision-making as the respiratory virus season approaches.
The project has also been in communication with regional public health initiatives, such as the West Coast Health Alliance and the Northeast Public Health Collaborative, which were formed in response to changes at HHS and the ACIP, to keep them updated on the project’s work.
Reinforcing Confidence in Existing Guidelines
The findings of the Vaccine Integrity Project offer a crucial validation of current immunization strategies. The independent assessment reinforces confidence in the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19, RSV, and influenza vaccines for the 2025–26 season, providing valuable support for public health efforts as they navigate evolving challenges.
[Reference 1: Scott J, Abers MS, Marwah HK, et al. Updated evidence for COVID-19, RSV, and Influenza vaccines for 2025-2026. N Engl J Med. Published online October 29, 2025. DOI:10.1056/NEJMsa2514268]
[Reference 2: University of Minnesota. CIDRAP launches Vaccine Integrity Project. News Release. April 24, 2025. https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/cidrap-launches-vaccine-integrity-project]
[Reference 3: Griffis K. Why I left my job leading public health messaging for the CDC. Opinion. The Washington Post. March 25, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/03/25/rfk-hhs-cdc-public-health-misinformation-spread/]
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