March 31, 2022
Hon. Ron Johnson
U.S. Senate
328 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Johnson:
We are very grateful for your heroic work on informing Americans about early treatment for COVID-19 and safety concerns about COVID-19 vaccines.
We are sure you are aware of the controversy concerning the alarming reports of enormous increases in serious illness in our military forces, followed by the statement that prior years’ statistics understated the risks, so that comparisons may be invalid.
Our immediate concern, however, is for the health of our servicemembers. Might they be harboring subclinical disease that could cause serious consequences, especially if the member is deployed? Early discovery might permit preventive treatment.
As part of fitness-for-duty assessments, we urge that servicemembers have screening blood tests for abnormalities that may presage conditions that have apparently increased. We suggest inclusion of D-dimers, C-reactive protein, and troponin levels, to check for signs of blood clotting and inflammation. Additionally, a significant fraction of members, particularly pilots and divers, should have a cardiac ultrasound to check for signs of peri- or myocarditis. Summary statistics should be made available to the public promptly.
Such a program could be implemented immediately at minimal expense and could result in tremendous medical benefits as well as cost savings from preventing serious disability or illness.
Doctors for Disaster Preparedness is an organization of physicians and scientists, founded in 1984, to provide life-saving information concerning natural and man-made disasters. We recently filed an amicus brief in the SCOTUS cases challenging vaccine mandates.
Thank you for your consideration.
Jane M. Orient, M.D.
President, Doctors for Disaster Preparedness