Newly released text messages from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s government-issued cellphone show senior U.S. public health officials privately discussing potential risks of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy in early 2021, including a theoretical risk of miscarriage, months before health authorities were publicly urging pregnant women to get vaccinated.

The January 2021 exchange involved Fauci, then-CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Dr. Vivek Murthy, who later became U.S. surgeon general. The messages were released by Republican senators Ron Johnson and Rand Paul as part of their review of approximately 34,000 texts and 522 voicemails recovered from Fauci’s government phone.

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According to Fox News, Fauci raised the possibility that fever and inflammatory symptoms following a second vaccine dose could pose a risk during early pregnancy.

Fauci wrote that the reaction “theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester.”

Walensky responded that it was “definitely a good point, esp after dose two.”

Murthy also told Fauci that he had been hearing concerns about mRNA vaccines causing mutations in a developing fetus, although Fauci rejected the idea that an mRNA vaccine could alter a recipient’s genes.

The following day, Murthy raised a then-current World Health Organization recommendation advising against Moderna vaccination for pregnant women because of limited data.

More texts reveal that Biden era US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy responded to Fauci’s concern about the COVID vaccine in pregnant women by adding “I’ve been hearing concern about the mRNA causing mutations in the developing fetus as well.”

None of these concerns were ever made… https://t.co/ja1tLUJQf3 pic.twitter.com/dopDvUDJhN

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) August 10, 2026

Fauci responded that officials had to weigh the possible vaccine risks against the dangers of COVID-19 itself. He said more than 10,000 pregnant women had already received COVID vaccines without reported problems and noted that animal toxicology studies had not raised red flags.

Months later, public messaging to pregnant women became far more definitive, across the world.

In September 2021, Alberta Health Services strongly urged women who were pregnant, trying to become pregnant or had recently delivered to receive both COVID vaccine doses “as soon as possible.”

AHS stated publicly that “the COVID-19 vaccine is safe for pregnant individuals and their babies.”

Then-Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw was also urging pregnant Albertans to get vaccinated, warning they faced a high risk of serious illness from COVID-19. Alberta health officials pointed to pregnant women being admitted to intensive care and reported that an unvaccinated pregnant woman had died following a COVID-related infection.

Your necromancers, @jkenney https://t.co/MA4puI9flv pic.twitter.com/kEtaoUO5Sk

— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) August 10, 2026

The newly released Fauci correspondence occurred about eight months before that Alberta messaging and during an earlier stage of the vaccine rollout.

Current NIH director Jay Bhattacharya has criticized Fauci over the newly released correspondence, arguing that Americans deserved greater transparency about concerns officials were discussing privately.

“Tony Fauci was out of his lane, and used that power to tell America one thing when he really thought another,” Bhattacharya said in a Fox News interview.

🚨 JUST NOW: Anthony Fauci's successor, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, BLASTS Fauci for COVERING UP the alleged 82% MISCARRIAGE RATE for pregnant women taking the COVID vaccine

"Tony Fauci was OUT OF HIS LANE, and used that power to tell America one thing when he really thought… pic.twitter.com/UDPP02PrmT

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 10, 2026

“I mean, Tony Fauci was a major figure in trying to get those COVID shots past the finish line. He owed the American public some transparency.”

Johnson and Paul say the correspondence released so far represents only part of the material recovered from Fauci’s government phone. Their staffs are continuing to review the thousands of messages and say additional material deemed relevant to public health issues will be released.