The first text messages recovered from the government-issued mobile phone of Anthony Fauci were made public by two Republican senators as part of an investigation into his actions and decisions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Among the messages made public are conversations from January 2021, in which the then director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) discussed with other senior U.S. health officials the data available at the time on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines during pregnancy.

According to CNN, Senators Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rand Paul of Kentucky released the messages on Monday, after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) handed over Fauci’s iPhone to a Senate subcommittee investigating the matter.

According to the two senators, the phone contained more than 34,000 text messages and 522 voice messages. For now, they have released screenshots of just 11 text messages that were sent during the period when Fauci was head of NIAID.

What he wrote about vaccination during pregnancy

The international media are focusing primarily on a conversation on January 25, 2021, with Vivek Murthy, who at the time was a member of Joe Biden’s advisory committee on Covid-19.

Murthy asked Fauci whether there was any potential risk for pregnant women or whether he was aware of any data or theoretical reasons why it might be preferable for vaccination to take place earlier or later during pregnancy. Fauci replied that “there are no data or theoretical reasons to believe that vaccination earlier rather than later in pregnancy would be preferable.”

He then, however, referred to a theoretical possibility concerning the first trimester. “Since many people experience a significant cytokine storm and fever after the second dose, this could theoretically be associated with miscarriage during the first trimester,” he wrote.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, then director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), replied: “Certainly a good point, especially after the second dose.”

The following day, according to the screenshots that were released, Fauci returned to the issue, emphasizing that when data concerning pregnancy are limited for any vaccine, a careful assessment should be made. “One must weigh the potential risks against the benefits,” he wrote, while also noting that Covid-19 infection could be particularly serious during pregnancy.

Fauci also pointed out that pregnant women had not been included in the vaccines’ initial clinical trials. However, by that point, more than 10,000 pregnant people had already been vaccinated following the granting of emergency use authorization and, as he wrote, “no problems had emerged.”

CNN reports that it contacted Fauci, Murthy and Walensky for comment.

What subsequent data showed

As the U.S. news organization points out, the conversations took place at a time when the available evidence on vaccination during pregnancy was still limited. On August 11, 2021, the CDC issued an official recommendation in favor of Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy after analyzing data that showed no increased risk of miscarriage or other safety concerns associated with the vaccine.

At the same time, during the pandemic the CDC had warned that pregnant women who contracted Covid-19 faced a higher risk of severe illness compared with women who were not pregnant.

Studies that followed concluded that vaccines are safe during pregnancy and that serious adverse reactions are rare. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists continued, as recently as the spring, to recommend annual Covid-19 vaccination for women who are or expect to be pregnant during the fall or winter.

Will more messages be made public?

Johnson and Paul said that their staff are examining the remaining material found on Fauci’s phone and that they intend to release it “as soon as possible.” They argued that the messages they have now made public could have “a direct impact on public health and the principle of informed consent.”

In their statement, they also cited public statements made by Fauci and other health officials in the months following the exchange of the messages, in which they recommended that pregnant women receive Covid-19 vaccinations.

The release of the messages is the latest episode in Fauci’s years-long confrontation with Republicans in Congress, and particularly with Rand Paul, who chairs the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Paul, who has repeatedly clashed publicly with Fauci, subpoenaed him in June to appear before Congress.

He and other Republicans have for years accused the former head of NIAID of covering up evidence concerning the origins of the pandemic and of misleading the public about data related to the health crisis. So far, however, according to CNN, they have not presented clear evidence substantiating the alleged cover-up.