Newly released Fauci texts show early COVID vaccine concerns for pregnant women, including discussion of fever after dose two and miscarriage risk.
Newly released Fauci texts show that top federal health officials privately weighed concerns about COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for pregnant women in January 2021, including worries about fever after a second dose and a theoretical miscarriage risk in the first trimester.
The messages involved Dr. Anthony Fauci, then-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and Dr. Vivek Murthy, who later served as former President Joe Biden’s surgeon general. In the exchange, Fauci said that because many people experience significant cytokine-related symptoms and fever after a second dose, that reaction could “theoretically” be tied to miscarriage early in pregnancy. The texts were included on page two of documents released Monday by Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Rand Paul, R-Ky.
Murthy first asked whether officials had any reason to recommend vaccination earlier or later in pregnancy and whether there was evidence of adverse outcomes among pregnant women who had already received shots. Fauci answered that there were “no data or theoretical reason” to favor earlier vaccination over later vaccination. He also pushed back on concerns that an mRNA vaccine could change a person’s genes, calling that idea a misconception.
Later that same evening, Fauci raised the issue of possible side effects after the second dose for pregnant women. Walensky replied that it was “definitely a good point, esp after dose two.” Murthy said he had been hearing fears that mRNA vaccines might cause mutations in a developing fetus and said Fauci’s point about a cytokine response after the second dose was “a really good point.”
“Newly released Fauci texts show early COVID vaccine concerns for pregnant women, including discussion of fever after dose two and miscarriage risk.”
The next day, after Murthy noted a World Health Organization recommendation at the time advising against Moderna’s vaccine in pregnant women because of limited data, Fauci said officials had to compare the possible risks of vaccination with the risks posed by COVID-19 itself. He wrote that more than 10,000 pregnant women had already been vaccinated with “no issues” reported and pointed to guidance from the Food and Drug Administration, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists allowing pregnant women to choose vaccination. Fauci also said animal toxicology studies had not produced warning signs.
Murthy said the WHO position surprised him and warned that a strong recommendation against vaccination based on limited data could be “potentially quite damaging to public confidence among pregnant women.” Walensky said she would raise the matter at an upcoming ACIP meeting. The texts show how carefully the government’s medical leadership was balancing uncertainty, public confidence, and pandemic risk during the first phase of the vaccine rollout.
That matters because vaccine guidance for pregnant women became one of the most closely watched public health issues of the pandemic, and the release of these texts adds a new window into the private debate that shaped early messaging. For American families still sorting through what government officials knew and when they knew it, the Fauci texts are another reminder that the pandemic response was built on fast-moving judgment calls, not easy answers.
Frequently asked questions
What did Fauci say about pregnancy and the second vaccine dose?
He said fever and other cytokine-related symptoms after a second dose could theoretically be associated with miscarriage in the first trimester.
Who was involved in the text exchange?
The exchange included Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and Dr. Vivek Murthy.
How did the officials respond to concerns about vaccination in pregnancy?
Fauci said there was no data or theoretical reason to prefer earlier vaccination over later vaccination, and he cited FDA and other guidance allowing pregnant women to choose vaccination.
Why did Murthy worry about the WHO recommendation?
He said a strong recommendation against vaccination because of limited data could damage public confidence among pregnant women.
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