Newly released COVID-19 era text messages from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s government-issued cell phone show that Daily Mail reported that Fauci privately discussed potential theoretical risks between second-dose COVID-19 vaccines and first-trimester miscarriages in January 2021, according to documents published by Republican senators. The text message exchanges, released on Monday by Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), detail internal conversations between Fauci, former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy regarding vaccine safety data and public messaging for pregnant populations.
Inside the January 2021 Text Messages
According to documents obtained from the Department of Health and Human Services and published by Forbes, Fauci exchanged messages on January 25 and 26, 2021, addressing public health guidance and clinical unknowns for pregnant women. In the text exchange, Fauci noted that while animal toxicology studies raised no red flags, “many people have significant cytokines storm and fever after the 2nd dose, this theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester,” as reported by Daily Mail. Walensky responded to the point, stating it was “definitely a good point, esp after dose two.” Fauci also stated that pregnant women should weigh potential risks against benefits given the lack of initial clinical trial data, while noting that COVID-19 infection itself poses serious risks during pregnancy.
World Health Organization Guidance and Public Confidence Concerns
During the same January 2021 exchange, Dr. Vivek Murthy asked Fauci and Walensky if they had reviewed a World Health Organization advisory that recommended against pregnant women taking the Moderna vaccine due to a lack of clinical trial data. Murthy stated that the WHO statement was strong and potentially damaging to public confidence among pregnant women. Fauci responded that pregnant individuals must weigh potential risks against the benefits of vaccination versus contracting COVID-19 itself. Senators Johnson and Paul presented the text records as evidence of conflicting public and private discussions, while public health agencies subsequently gathered extensive safety data.
What Subsequent Science and the CDC Show Regarding Pregnancy and Vaccines
In the months following the January 2021 text messages, multiple large-scale studies evaluated the safety of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy. In August 2021, the CDC officially recommended that pregnant women receive the COVID-19 vaccine, citing a growing body of data showing no increased risk of miscarriage. A peer-reviewed study published in Nature in May 2022, which analyzed 117,552 vaccinated pregnant individuals, found no evidence of a higher risk of adverse outcomes, including miscarriage. An additional study published in February 2023 involving nearly 150,000 pregnant women similarly concluded that COVID-19 vaccines are not associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.
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