Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, asserted that a major government scandal has emerged concerning COVID‑19 vaccine safety signals.
He cited an April 29 hearing in which health officials were alleged to have ignored warnings, leading to incidents such as sudden cardiac death, pulmonary infarction, cerebral artery occlusion, basal ganglia stroke, and agonal rhythm.
A recent peer‑reviewed study examined reports of unusual white fibrous structures discovered in the veins and arteries of embalmed bodies.
The research was conducted by a retired U.S. Air Force major, a data analyst, and two independent scientists, employing four annual cross‑sectional surveys from 2022 through 2025.
Surveys targeted active embalmers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, gathering anonymous observations of the structures’ frequency, the proportion of affected corpses, and the timeline of their appearance.
Beginning in 2020‑2021, embalmers reported “large, tough, rubbery white or off‑white fibrous structures” in veins and arteries, which they distinguished from traditional postmortem clots.
Descriptions noted the formations were larger, more extensive, tougher, and different in color and handling, with some measuring several inches to over a foot, occasionally spanning an entire limb.
Across 808 survey responses, the proportion of embalmers reporting these observations ranged from 66 % to 83 % each year, with a weighted average prevalence in affected bodies of 19 % to 27 %.
Reports were rare before 2020, with only 14 %‑17 % of respondents recalling sightings in 2018‑2019; the share rose to 37 % in 2020 and reached 80 % in 2021.
When data from all years are combined, 75.2 % of embalmers indicated they had seen the fibrous clots, estimating their presence in 23.4 % of all embalmed bodies.
The timing of the increase aligns with the global rollout of COVID‑19 vaccinations, which began in late 2020 and accelerated throughout 2021.
Researchers call for additional investigation by forensic pathologists and biomedical scientists to determine health implications and verify the origins of the structures.
Senator Johnson urged a comprehensive inquiry, arguing that earlier acknowledgment of safety warnings could have prevented many deaths and injuries.
He characterized the perceived neglect as one of the most significant governmental failures of his lifetime, demanding thorough media coverage and public scrutiny.
