In texts, Fauci discussed potential risks, benefits of COVID vaccine for pregnant women
Two Senate Republicans released a set of 2021 texts that show Dr. Anthony Fauci discussing how to "weigh the potential risks against the benefits" of pregnant women taking COVID-19 vaccines.
August 10, 2026 / 10:41 PM EDT / CBS News
The 11 text messages that were made public Monday were among more than 34,000 that the Department of Health and Human Services recovered from Fauci's government-issued phone, Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said in a statement. The two lawmakers have intensely criticized Fauci over the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic for years, with Paul recently releasing diary entries penned by Fauci during the height of the pandemic.
The newly released texts stem from late January 2021, several days after former President Joe Biden took office and more than a month after the first coronavirus vaccines — made by Pfizer and Moderna — were granted emergency use authorization and rolled out to the American public.
At the time, officials were still collecting data on pregnant women who chose to receive the vaccines. Since then, multiple studies have found no increased risk of miscarriage or other pregnancy complications after COVID-19 vaccination.
The text conversation began with then-Surgeon General nominee Dr. Vivek Murthy asking Fauci and then-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky if they knew of any information on whether pregnant women should get vaccinated earlier or later in pregnancy.