US Senators Rand Paul and Ron Johnson published text messages dating back to early 2021 that reflect internal discussions among Anthony Fauci and other senior health officials. The correspondence, which took place shortly after the authorization of COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna), addresses the assessment of potential risks and benefits of vaccination in pregnant women. At the time, specialists were still collecting clinical data on pregnant women, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initially used only a specialized system, V-safe, to monitor vaccine side effects.
In the internal correspondence, which included Vivek Murthy and then-CDC Director Rochelle Walensky alongside Fauci, the timing of vaccination was discussed. Fauci clarified that there was no clinical data or theoretical basis that favoured vaccination in either early or late pregnancy. However, he stressed that a fever or cytokine storm occurring after the second dose of the vaccine could theoretically be associated with a miscarriage in the first trimester. Nevertheless, Fauci specified that coronavirus infection posed significantly higher risks during pregnancy and that no safety issues had been identified in more than 10,000 pregnant women who had already been vaccinated.
Seven months after this correspondence, the CDC issued an official recommendation for COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women. Studies involving over a million pregnant women confirmed that vaccination does not increase the risk of miscarriage or other pregnancy complications. On the contrary, vaccination significantly reduces the likelihood of developing severe illness caused by the coronavirus, which poses a real threat to the health of both mother and fetus. Despite this evidence, last year Health Department head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revoked this CDC recommendation, although the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) continues to actively support vaccination in pregnant women.
These messages extracted from Fauci’s phone are part of more than 34,000 records that senators are analyzing to examine pandemic management processes. The release of these materials once again reignites the years-long dispute between Republicans and the former chief infectious disease expert. The proceedings escalated particularly after Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering questions at a Senate hearing last month, leading to allegations of contempt of Congress, though his lawyers stated that the exercise of this constitutional right had a solid legal foundation.
