The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is developing vaccine recommendations for the 2026–27 respiratory virus season. We review the best available science and guidance from trusted national medical organizations to make evidence-based recommendations for Washington. 

We are also tracking when national organizations will release their guidance for the upcoming season. 

DOH will share updated guidance as soon as our review is complete. In the meantime, providers should follow current guidance from their professional medical organizations. 

Thank you to health care providers, local health jurisdictions, Tribal partners, pharmacies, and others for your continued work to protect Washington communities.

Press Release: West Coast Health Alliance joint statement on federal Executive Order regarding childhood vaccines 

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is aware of the Executive Order issued by the White House regarding childhood vaccine recommendations and is reviewing the details and potential implications for Washington. 

An Executive Order is a directive from the president to federal agencies. It can direct agencies to take certain actions, but it does not immediately change vaccine recommendations, laws, or clinical practice. Any changes resulting from the order would require additional federal action and implementation. 

Washington’s childhood immunization recommendations have not changed. They are guided by the best available science, informed by recommendations from trusted medical and public health experts, and aligned with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization schedule. There are no changes to insurance coverage, or to school immunization requirements. 

As DOH continues to monitor the Executive Order and subsequent federal actions, providers and partners should continue following current Washington state vaccine guidance. Please encourage patients and families to talk with their health care providers about questions or concerns about vaccinations.

COVID-19 activity is starting to increase in Washington, as it often does in late summer. The updated 2026–27 COVID-19 vaccine has been approved and is expected to be available soon. 

DOH will update its COVID-19 webpage with information about the new vaccines and recommendations when more information is available. 

Washington’s statewide COVID-19 standing order is still in effect. This allows eligible people to get a COVID-19 vaccine at participating pharmacies and other approved locations without getting a prescription first. 

Resources for providers: 

• DOH COVID-19 webpage
• DOH Respiratory Illness Data Dashboard 

The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) welcomes Dr. Jamilia Sherls, director of Washington State Department of Health’s Office of Immunization, as its new chair. Dr. Sherls was elected chair-elect in December 2025 and will complete for Chair Sarah Aho’s 2026 term from August 1 through December 1, followed by a full one-year term as chair in 2027.  

Dr. Sherls is a public health nurse with a combined 20 years of experience in clinical care, community health and outreach, community partnerships, and developing and implementing strategies to improve patient and population health outcomes. Since joining AIM four years ago, Dr. Sherls has served on the AIM Executive Committee and as an AIM officer, represented AIM on the ACIP HPV Workgroup, served on the AIM Vaccine Implementation Advisory Board, received the AIM Bull’s-Eye Award in 2022 and 2023, presented on several AIM webinars, and served as an AIM mentor. She was also recently named a 2026 ASTHO Developing Executive Leaders in Public Health (DELPH) Scholar and received the DELPH Legacy Leader Award. 

In honor of National Immunization Awareness Month, the Health Plan Partnership is excited to announce this year’s Immunize WA award winners! Congratulations to all the clinics recognized for their outstanding work in keeping Washingtonians protected. View the full list of 2026 and past winners here: Immunize Washington | WA DOH 

Thank you for your continued efforts to keep patients up to date on vaccines, especially as we work to recover from declines in immunization rates during the pandemic. 

The Immunization Action Coalition of Washington (IACW), Washington State Department of Health, Association of Immunization Managers (AIM), and CDC recognize individuals and organizations that go above and beyond to promote immunization and improve access in Washington communities. The 2026 honorees are: 

• AIM Immunization Champion for Washington State: Alyssa Caucci, MHA, Neighborcare Health 
• IACW Immunization Advocate: The Bessler Center at Mary Bridge Children's Immunization Collaborative 
• IACW Immunization Collaborator: Jennifer Maxwell, MD, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic and Yakima Valley Health District 
• IACW Respiratory Season Champion: Tyler Young, PharmD, Vashon Pharmacy   

Learn more about this year's honorees and their contributions to immunization efforts. 

For National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM), DOH published three new plain-language blogs about vaccines for the public. Written in an accessible, conversational style, these articles offer a low-pressure way to share accurate, science-based vaccine information in a format that feels more like a typical article than traditional health education materials.  

DOH’s Public Health Connection blogs are available in both English and Spanish.  

• Part 1: Childhood Vaccinations: The Importance of Growing Up Protected (Spanish)
• Part 2: Adults Need Vaccines, Too. (Spanish)
• Part 3: Who Can You Trust About Vaccines? (Spanish)

On September 2, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) updated its Respiratory Illness Data Dashboards to make them easier to use and add new data. The dashboards track COVID-19, flu, and RSV activity, including signs of spread, severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths. Key updates include: 

Emergency Department Visits 

• A new dashboard shows respiratory illness activity and emergency department visits across Washington and by region. 
• New tabs make it easier to find information about disease activity, trends, and demographics. 
• The new dashboard replaces the old Current Status dashboard. 
• Demographic information is no longer shown for emergency department visits. It is available in the hospitalization and death data. 

Hospitalizations and Deaths 

• COVID-19, flu, and RSV hospitalization and death data are now together in one dashboard. 
• Hospitalization data now come from laboratory-confirmed cases reported through Washington’s respiratory virus surveillance network. 
• The new data allow DOH to report hospitalization rates, which make it easier to compare illness across counties, time periods, and groups of people.
• Hospitalization rates for COVID-19, flu, and RSV are available for eight counties that participate in the surveillance network. 
• Updated navigation and filters make it easier to find the data you need. 

These updates make respiratory illness data easier to find, understand, and use for public health officials, health care providers, partners, and the public. 

Mpox cases continue to be reported in Washington each year since the 2022 global outbreak. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has updated its mpox data dashboard to provide more useful and accessible information about mpox in Washington.

What’s new?

• More case information: vaccination status, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
• Improved accessibility to meet agency standards. 
• Downloadable data for dashboard users. 
• Removal of data showing the number of mpox vaccinations given over time. 

Mpox is mainly spread through sexual and close, intimate contact. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, transgender people, and gender-diverse people continue to be disproportionately affected. 

Breakthrough infections can occur after mpox vaccination. Vaccination remains the best way to prevent mpox.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), in partnership with the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM), Immunize.org, and Vaccinate Your Family, is launching the National Respiratory Communications Initiative (NRCI) this September. 

NRCI will provide clear, consistent, evidence-based information about preventing respiratory illnesses, including flu, COVID-19, RSV, and pneumococcal disease. Resources will support individuals and families, as well as health care professionals, media, and community organizations. 

The initiative launches ahead of respiratory season. Questions? Email communications@nfid.org. Resources: NRCI Partner FAQ and NRCI Overview. 

Looking for resources to help patients and families understand vaccines during pregnancy? These new tools offer patient-friendly information, education, and ready-to-share content: 

• Vaccines in Pregnancy Graphic: Covers flu, COVID-19, Tdap, and RSV vaccines, including benefits, risks, and recommended timing. Developed by MotherToBaby. 
• Maternal RSV Vaccine Digital Toolkit: Includes fact sheets, videos, podcasts, and a decision guide for clinicians, pharmacists, patients, and families. Developed by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. 
• Vaccination Guide for Pregnancy: Offers videos, infographics, and patient fact sheets on vaccines before, during, and after pregnancy. Resources are available in several languages. Developed by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. 
• Maternal Immunization Social Media Toolkit: Ready-to-use posts and graphics promoting COVID-19, flu, RSV, and Tdap vaccination during pregnancy. Developed by the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists. 

Explore these maternal immunization resources and share them with your patients and partners. 

The Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC) developed two new resources to talk about the importance of childhood vaccination. 

The first is a handout called Understanding the Childhood Immunization Schedule. It answers common questions families might have about the AAP’s childhood immunization schedule.    

PHCC also created some social media graphics which explain and build trust in vaccination. Check out their recent post with these communication resources here.

Help raise awareness about meningococcal meningitis during back-to-school season and beyond. The American Society for Meningitis Prevention has new graphics you can share, post, and use to start conversations about prevention. 

View and download the graphics 

Mark your calendar: October 5 is World Meningitis Day. Watch for more information coming soon about how you can join this day of action. 

Several leading medical groups released updated recommendations on September 2, for COVID-19, flu, and RSV immunizations for the 2026–2027 respiratory virus season. 

The groups that released recommendations are: 

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Children ages 0–18 
• American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP): Adults ages 19 and older and health care workers* 
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG): Pregnant people 
• Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA): People with weakened immune systems* 

The American Medical Association (AMA) also published a combined set of respiratory immunization recommendations based on the guidance from these medical groups. 

Separately, the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) released updated reviews of the research on COVID-19, flu, and RSV immunizations. The reviews, done with the AMA, found that these immunizations continue to lower the risk of severe illness and have reassuring safety records. 

Also separately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published Interim Clinical Considerations for the Use of Seasonal Influenza Vaccines in the United States for the 2026-2027 Flu Season. 

*IDSA also supported the development of guidance for health care workers. 

These recommendations come as medical groups take a larger role in reviewing vaccine evidence and making recommendations while the federal vaccine recommendation process continues to change. 

RSV season is coming. Start offering RSV vaccine to pregnant patients on September 1. 

Give one dose of Abrysvo during weeks 32–36 of pregnancy. Abrysvo is not recommended if the mother has already received RSV vaccine for any reason. 

If the vaccine is not given during pregnancy, or the baby is born less than 14 days after vaccination, the baby should get an RSV preventive antibody (nirsevimab [Beyfortus] or clesrovimab [Enflonsia]) starting in October.  

Starting in October, clinics should offer RSV antibodies to eligible babies. Clinics should start now to contact babies born in the spring or summer who may need RSV protection this season.

The FDA has licensed mFlusiva (Moderna), a new mRNA flu vaccine for adults 50 and older. In clinical studies, mFlusiva provided better protection than standard-dose flu vaccine in adults 50 and older. 

Side effects were more common than with standard flu vaccine but were generally mild or moderate and went away within 2 days. 

mFlusiva is expected to be available for the 2026–27 flu season but is not currently included in the Washington Adult Vaccine Program. 

The FDA has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines that target the XFG strain. The vaccines are approved for adults age 65 and older and for younger people with certain health conditions that increase their risk of severe COVID-19. 

Vaccine approvals vary by age and health condition: 

• Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty): Ages 65+ and ages 5–64 with certain health conditions. 
• Moderna (Spikevax): Ages 65+ and ages 6 months–64 with certain health conditions. 
• Moderna (mNEXSPIKE): Ages 65+ and ages 12–64 with certain health conditions. 
• Novavax-Sanofi (Nuvaxovid): Ages 65+ and ages 12–64 at high risk for severe COVID-19. 

Conditions that may increase the risk of severe COVID 19 include asthma, cancer, chronic lung or kidney disease, obesity, pregnancy, and smoking. 

Learn more about conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 on the CDC website. 

September 9-30, 2026

Webinar Registration

Continuing education credits information is coming soon. 

 The Northwest Immunization Conference hosted by Immunize Oregon is an annual event to share the latest information on immunizations and vaccine issues. Registration provides you access to 10 different webinars in September. View the registration page for the agenda and all scheduled presentations.