Doctor tells committee spike protein can cause microvascular clots; describes outpatient anticoagulation approach

Dr. Jordan Vaughn, an internist who said he runs a large private practice in Alabama, told the Special Committee on COVID Response Efficacy that the SARS‑CoV‑2 spike protein "is damaging to the vessels and and causes coagulation issues," and described microscopic fibrin abnormalities he said are resistant to normal fibrinolysis.

Vaughn testified that the clotting he sees is different in kind from ordinary thrombi and that, whether produced by infection or by vaccination, the spike protein can cause protein confirmations that make fibrin harder to break down. "The spike protein itself, regardless of its source, is is damaging to the vessels and and causes coagulation issues," he said. He pointed to work by clinicians in South Africa and the University of Liverpool and described immunofluorescent microscopy findings he and colleagues have reported.

On treatment, Vaughn told lawmakers he and collaborators began using anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapies in hospitalized patients and later in outpatients with persistent symptoms. He cited a case series from a cardiac intensivist in South Africa and said his group has treated thousands of patients in ambulatory settings. He described instituting early testing and same‑day monoclonal antibody infusions, home oxygen delivered by volunteers, and follow‑up labs (including D‑dimer) to guide anticoagulation. Vaughn reported treating roughly 2,500 patients with combined antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy and estimated about 70 percent improvement in his cohort.

Committee members pressed on safety and causation. Representative Wherry asked whether myocardial effects reported in young males relate to the myocarditis signals in trial and post‑market data; Vaughn answered that some myocarditis reports have been concentrated in vaccinated cohorts and said the mechanism is consistent with microvascular and endothelial injury. On children, he said acute pediatric hospitalizations were rare prior to Omicron but that he now treats children with lingering symptoms such as mast cell activation and post‑exertional malaise.

Vaughn also criticized national protocols early in the pandemic, arguing some ventilator practices and reimbursement structures (he cited the CARES Act as an influence on coding and payment) steered clinicians toward approaches he believes were less effective. He described regulatory and industry incentives as a complicating factor and said NIH received substantial royalty income from technologies related to vaccine development.

He recommended that clinicians be empowered to try therapeutics locally and that states plan to enable rapid outpatient access to therapeutics and diagnostics in future emergencies. Vaughn named organizations and networks he works with — including the Front Line COVID‑19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) and advocacy groups such as React19 — as resources for patients seeking care.

The committee did not take action on the witness's recommendations during the hearing; members said they would consider his testimony in drafting the committee's final report and follow‑up recommendations.