health

Fauci discussed potential risks, benefits of COVID vaccine for pregnant women in 2021 texts released by GOP senators

August 10, 2026 / 10:41 PM EDT / CBS News

Fauci discussed potential risks, benefits of COVID vaccine for pregnant women in 2021 texts released by GOP senators

TL;DR

  • Two Senate Republicans released early 2021 text messages involving Dr. Anthony Fauci and other federal health officials regarding COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women.
  • The texts show officials discussing how to 'weigh the potential risks against the benefits' as data on pregnant women was still being gathered.
  • Dr. Fauci noted a lack of data on whether vaccinating earlier or later in pregnancy was preferable and mentioned theoretical risks like fevers possibly being associated with miscarriage.
  • At the time of the texts, over 10,000 pregnant women had been vaccinated with no reported issues.
  • Subsequent studies found no increased risk of miscarriage or pregnancy complications from COVID-19 vaccination.
  • The CDC later explicitly recommended COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women based on new data.
  • The release of these texts is part of a broader dispute between Republican lawmakers and Dr. Fauci over the government's pandemic response.