Dr. Anthony Fauci privately discussed concerns about COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for pregnant women in January 2021, including questions about fever after a second dose and a theoretical risk of miscarriage during the first trimester.

Vaccine Concerns

Fauci said that many people experience significant cytokine-related symptoms and fever after a second dose, which could be associated with miscarriage in the first trimester. The exchange involved Fauci, then-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and Dr. Vivek Murthy, who would later become former President Joe Biden’s surgeon general.

Murthy initially asked whether there was any reason to favor vaccination earlier or later in pregnancy and whether officials had seen evidence of adverse outcomes among pregnant women who had already been vaccinated. Fauci responded that there were no data or theoretical reason to believe vaccination earlier in pregnancy should be preferred over later vaccination.

Later that evening, however, Fauci mentioned the evidence of issues with the second shot for pregnant women. Walensky replied that it was definitely a good point, especially after dose two. Murthy then wrote that he had been hearing concerns about mRNA causing mutations in a developing fetus and said Fauci’s point about a cytokine response after the second dose was a really good point.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.