The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) has recommended updating this year’s COVID-19 vaccines to target the fast-evolving XFG variant, also known as “stratus,” for the 2026-2027 immunization campaign.

Eight out of nine panel members voted in favor of the update, with one abstaining. The recommendation aims to prepare for anticipated seasonal surges during fall and winter.

Current wastewaterSCAN data shows XFG variants accounted for more than half of U.S. cases over the four weeks ending April 11. However, the CDC’s COVID dashboard indicates new data remains unavailable due to low sequencing submissions.

Anna Durbin, a VRBPAC member, emphasized critical data gaps: “We can’t make a recommendation if we don’t have data, and that’s one of my great concerns.” She called for strengthened real-time surveillance systems to monitor emerging variants.

The committee’s decision follows ongoing challenges in tracking viral mutations. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s administration has scaled back disease surveillance funding, though the VRBPAC remains operational. A federal court has temporarily stayed the CDC’s advisory panel decision to drop childhood vaccine recommendations—including for COVID—preventing their implementation.