Fauci Texts Reveal Early Concerns About mRNA Vaccine Second-Dose Reactions and Theoretical Miscarriage Risk in Pregnant Women
核心洞察
Newly released January 2021 text messages show Dr. Anthony Fauci privately raised concerns that fever and cytokine storm after the second mRNA vaccine dose could theoretically be associated with first-trimester miscarriage.
The exchange involved Fauci, then-CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and Dr. Vivek Murthy, who acknowledged the concern as "a really good point" warranting attention.
Fauci also noted that over 10,000 pregnant women had already been vaccinated with "no issues" reported and that FDA, ACIP, and ACOG guidance allowed pregnant women to choose vaccination.
Text messages from January 2021 involving Dr. Anthony Fauci, then-director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, reveal that top U.S. health officials privately discussed theoretical concerns about COVID-19 (搜索) mRNA vaccine safety in pregnant women, specifically regarding second-dose reactions and potential first-trimester miscarriage risk. The messages were released Monday by Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) as part of an ongoing congressional oversight investigation.
The text chain, which also included then-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (搜索) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Dr. Vivek Murthy, who later became surgeon general under President Joe Biden, began when Murthy inquired about whether there was any reason to prefer vaccination earlier or later in pregnancy and whether officials had seen evidence of adverse outcomes among pregnant women who had already been vaccinated.
Theoretical Concern Emerges After Initial Reassurance
Fauci initially responded that there were "no data or theoretical reason" to believe vaccination earlier in pregnancy should be preferred over later vaccination. He also addressed circulating concerns, stating that worries about an mRNA vaccine possibly altering a person's genes were a misconception.
Later that evening, however, Fauci raised a new concern. "I asked around a bit more and another issue came up that you need to be aware of. Since many people have significant cytokines storm and fever after the 2nd dose, this theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester," Fauci wrote.
Walensky responded that it was "definitely a good point, esp after dose two." Murthy, who had been hearing concerns about mRNA causing mutations in an unborn baby, said Fauci's note about a cytokine response after the second dose was "a really good point."
WHO Recommendation and Public Confidence Concerns
The following day, Murthy flagged a World Health Organization recommendation advising against use of Moderna's vaccine in pregnant women because of limited data. Fauci responded by emphasizing that officials had to weigh the potential risks of vaccination against the risks posed by COVID-19 (搜索) itself.
Fauci noted that more than 10,000 pregnant women had already been vaccinated with "no issues" reported. He further pointed out that the Food and Drug Administration (搜索), the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (搜索) (ACOG) all had guidance allowing pregnant women to choose vaccination, and that animal toxicology studies had not raised concerns.
Murthy expressed surprise at the WHO recommendation and warned it could be "potentially quite damaging to public confidence among pregnant women." Walensky agreed and asked whether she should flag the issue for an upcoming ACIP meeting.
Ongoing Investigation
Johnson wrote in his post on X regarding the texts, "While I've been conducting oversight for years, now that we have the documents and Fauci's government-issued phone, my investigation has only just begun."
According to Johnson's office, the phone contains more than 34,000 text messages and 522 voicemails. Notably, only three contacts are listed on the device; all other text messages are identified only with phone numbers rather than contact names. Johnson's office stated it is "too early to determine whether any data has been deleted."
A statement from the senators' offices indicated that "to protect the privacy of individuals with whom Dr. Fauci communicated, as well as personal messages unrelated to the public health issues he was involved in, it will take time to carefully review the large volume of information the senators received. Chairman Johnson, Chairman Paul, and their staffs will work diligently and cooperatively to release relevant information to the public as soon as possible."