WASHINGTON: US senators Ron Johnson and Rand Paul released texts from Fauci about the vaccine on Monday, August 10. They show officials discussing a theoretical miscarriage risk in early pregnancy; later studies found no increased risk.
The 11 released messages covered exchanges on January 25 and 26, 2021. They involved Fauci, then-CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and surgeon general nominee Vivek Murthy.
Murthy asked whether the timing of vaccination affected pregnancy risk. Fauci replied that available evidence offered no reason to prefer vaccination earlier or later.
However, Fauci said fever and strong cytokine responses after a second dose could theoretically be linked to first-trimester miscarriage. Walensky and Murthy acknowledged the point.
Fauci wrote the next day that officials should balance possible risks against benefits. He noted that COVID-19 could become severe during pregnancy. He also said more than 10,000 pregnant people had received a vaccine and no issues had emerged.
Johnson’s accompanying statement repeated an 82% figure from a disputed re-analysis of preliminary V-safe data. That calculation divided 104 miscarriages by 127 recipients vaccinated early in pregnancy. However, most other pregnancies remained ongoing. The authors later withdrew the article using that method.
A follow-up study tracked 2,456 vaccinated pregnant people and accounted for unresolved pregnancies. It estimated the miscarriage risk at 14.1%, falling to 12.8% after age standardisation. Researchers said the results matched expected population rates.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says studies covering more than one million pregnant people found no increased miscarriage or pregnancy-complication risk. Its 2025–2026 guidance supports individual decisions while noting that pregnancy raises the risk of severe COVID-19.
Read: Fauci Contempt Vote Passes US Senate Panel in 8-5 Split
The Department of Health and Human Services gave investigators Fauci’s government phone on August 5. Johnson’s office said it contained more than 34,000 messages and 522 voicemails.
Fauci appeared before the Senate Homeland Security Committee at 8:30 a.m. EDT on July 29. The panel voted 8-5 on August 6 to hold him in contempt after he invoked the Fifth Amendment.
