The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved updated COVID vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Novavax-Sanofi for the 2026-27 season, the companies said.Four COVID vaccines have been approved for use in the US after an advisory panel recommended that the shots target the dominant XFG variant.What Are The New COVID Vaccines?Moderna: mNEXSPIKE and SpikevaxSpikevax: Approved for people aged 6 months through 64 who have an underlying condition, and anyone aged 65 or older.mNEXSPIKE: Approved for people aged 12 through 64 who have an underlying condition, and anyone aged 65 or older.The mRNA-based vaccines target the XFG subvariant of the JN.1 coronavirus strain.Pfizer-BioNTech: ComirnatyIt is approved for:All adults aged 65 and older.People aged 5 through 64 who have a condition that raises their risk of severe illness.The vaccine targets the LP.8.1 strain of the coronavirus.Novavax-Sanofi: NuvaxovidNuvaxovid is the only protein-based COVID vaccine available in the US. It is approved for everyone aged 65 and older and for those aged 12 through 64 who have underlying conditions.The vaccine targets the JN.1 strain.When Will The Updated Shots Be Available?All manufacturers had previously said they could make the updated shots in time for the 2026-27 immunization season, although Novavax could take longer to manufacture its vaccine.The Donald Trump administration had shelved the universal COVID vaccine recommendation. It now recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older consult a healthcare provider before getting the shot.In May, eight of the committee's nine experts voted in favor of targeting the XFG variant for the 2026-27 campaign. For the 2025-26 season, the FDA had recommended that COVID shots target LP.8.1, a subvariant of the JN.1 strain. The CDC has yet to make an official recommendation for this year's vaccines. Experts say the vaccines should begin reaching pharmacies and doctors' offices in September, CNN reported.What Is The Current COVID Situation In The US?The CDC's latest respiratory illness data, updated August 21, shows that national and regional COVID-19 activity is increasing, although overall acute respiratory illness causing people to seek healthcare remains very low. Doctors have been reporting an increase in patients testing positive through the summer. But some physicians are noticing a change in how the illness is presenting.Reports have emerged stating that COVID is resurfacing with new symptoms including nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.COVID-19-related visits to the emergency room are also increasing.Recent reports from doctors in Georgia describe patients arriving with gastrointestinal symptoms alongside, or sometimes instead of, the more familiar respiratory symptoms.Although these symptoms may seem unusual compared with the classic COVID presentation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea are not new symptoms of COVID-19.The CDC has included nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea among the possible symptoms of COVID-19 for years. Dr James Black, medical director of emergency services at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, said doctors are still seeing fever, cough and upper-respiratory symptoms, but added, “A lot of people are coming in with gastrointestinal symptoms - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sometimes to the point of mild dehydration.”