Former US Covid chief Dr. Anthony Fauci’s private texts on vaccine safety and pregnancy revealed

Text messages sent by the former US Covid chief, Dr. Anthony Fauci, have been released as part of an investigation into his leadership and actions during the pandemic.

The former Chief Medical Advisor to the US president had more than 34,000 messages and 522 voicemails on his phone, 11 of which were presented during the hearing.

Dr. Fauci was made director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) during the pandemic, and sent numerous messages about how the vaccine affects pregnant individuals.

At the time, pregnant women in the US were strongly advised to get the vaccine to avoid the risk of severe illness.

But the text messages reveal the conversations that were had about that particular decision, prior to the advice being distributed.

In one exchange on January 25, 2021, Dr. Vivek Murthy, a then-advisor to President Biden, asked about any potential risks to those who are pregnant.

Dr. Fauci responded that there was 'no data or theoretical reason to believe that vaccinating early versus later in pregnancy would be preferred'.

He further noted: "Since many people have significant cytokines storm and fever after the 2nd dose, this theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the first trimester."

Dr. Fauci's private text messages were detailed during the hearing. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who then served as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), replied to the message: "Definitely a good point, esp after dose two."

In another exchange a day later, Dr. Fauci wrote: "One must weigh the potential risks against the benefits."

He added that the Covid infection could be 'especially' serious in pregnancy.

It was on August 11, 2021, that the CDC formally recommended that pregnant women receive the shot, after analyzing data which found that there was no increased risks of miscarriage or safety concerns related to the vaccine.

Since then, studies have shown that the vaccines were safe during pregnancy, and that any risk or adverse reaction was rare.

The democrats claimed that Republican members were attempting to deflect pandemic criticisms away from Trump. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Democrats in the house cited the hearing as an example of Republicans deflecting pandemic criticisms away from President Trump.

Senator Richard Blumenthal claimed: "The campaign to vilify you, Dr. Fauci, is just one part of this larger campaign against science and facts - a campaign that has made Americans less safe."

More than 1,000 pages from Dr Fauci's personal diary were also looked at as part of the investigation, many of which narrated his growing concerns about the virus, frustrations with the government's response, and his relationships with officials working for both Trump and Biden.

The Covid pandemic first broke out during Trump's first term in office, between 2017 and January 2021.

Joe Biden then became president in January 2021, overseeing the later stages of the pandemic.