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headline

Blood clots likely 'nothing to do with' AstraZeneca vaccine

Blood clotting is likely "nothing to do" with the AstraZeneca vaccine, one of Australia's leading epidemiologists has said.

Marylouise McLaws, advisor to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and professor at UNSW, said that we should not "be worried at all" that some countries have suspended their vaccine rollouts and that clotting is likely not linked to AstraZeneca.

"There are over 10 million people every year diagnosed with a clot. This particular one is very rare," she said on Today.

READ MORE: Child among three dead in NSW South Coast car crash

"When you've been vaccinated and you have one of these rare events, people get very anxious because they think there's some causation but there is probably likely to be no causation.

"I don't think we should be worried at all."

Professor McLaws said that there is also probably no connection to AstraZeneca in the man who suffered a blood clot yesterday in Melbourne.

"Before we start linking the dots, we just need to put this into perspective that this is a very rare event and it's likely not to do with AstraZeneca," she said.

"This man is 44, he is very young to be starting to get vaccinated so he's either healthcare or front-liner and has a particular need, a medical need to be vaccinated because the risk of COVID is great."

Asked about Australia's own rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, Professor McLaws said that it has been "very slow".

"Look, the rollout has been very slow and in January I warned the public that this would be slow and an enormous undertaking," she said.

"We probably do need to relook at how we can do catch-up.

"I believe that Australia is now catching up with that frontline group, the quarantine workers and the frontline clinicians. They're our most important group. They need to be 100 percent covered."

headline

US Capitol officer killed by knife-wielding driver named

The Capitol police officer killed by a man who rammed a car into him and another officer at a barricade outside the US Capitol and then emerged wielding a knife has been named.

It was the second line-of-duty death this year for a department still struggling to heal from the January 6 insurrection.

Video shows the driver of the crashed car emerging with a knife in his hand and starting to run at the pair of officers, Capitol Police Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told reporters.

Authorities shot the suspect, who died at a hospital.

READ MORE: Capitol riot suspect wore 'I Was There' shirt when arrested

Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that the suspect stabbed one of the officers.

The officials spoke to AP were not authorised to publicly discuss the pending investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

"I just ask that the public continue to keep US Capitol Police and their families in your prayers," Acting Chief Pittman said.

"This has been an extremely difficult time for US Capitol Police after the events of January 6 and now the events that have occurred here today."

Police identified the slain officer as William "Billy" Evans, an 18-year veteran who was a member of the department's first responders unit.

Authorities said that there wasn't an ongoing threat and that the attack did not appear to be related to terrorism, though the Capitol was put on lockdown as a precaution.

There was also no immediate connection apparent between Friday's crash and the January 6 riot.

The crash and shooting happened at a security checkpoint near the Capitol typically used by senators and staff on weekdays, though most are away from the building during the current recess.

The attack occurred about 91 metres from the entrance of the building on the Senate side of the Capitol.

One witness, the Reverend Patrick Mahoney, said he was finishing a Good Friday service nearby when he suddenly heard three shots ring out.

It comes as the Washington region remains on edge nearly three months after a mob of armed insurrectionists loyal to former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden's presidential win.

READ MORE: Melbourne man suffers blood clots after receiving AstraZeneca vaccine

Five people died in the January 6 riot, including Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who was among a badly outnumbered force trying to fight off insurrectionists seeking to overturn the election.

Authorities installed a tall perimeter fence around the Capitol and for months restricted traffic along the roads closest to the building, but they had begun pulling back some of the emergency measures in recent weeks.

Fencing that prevented vehicular traffic near that area was recently removed.

Law enforcement officials identified the slain suspect as 25-year-old Noah Green.

Investigators were digging into the suspect's background and examining whether he had any mental health history as they tried to discern a motive.

They were working to obtain warrants to access his online accounts.

Pittman said the suspect did not appear to have been on the police's radar.

READ MORE: US in danger of 'avoidable' COVID-19 surge, top health officials warn

But the attack underscores that the building and campus — and the officers charged with protecting them — remain potential targets for violence.

Evans is the seventh Capitol Police member to die in the line of duty in the department's history, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks deaths of law enforcement.

Two officers, one from Capitol Police and another from Washington's Metropolitan Police Department, died by suicide following the January 6 attack.

Almost 140 Capitol Police officers were wounded then, including officers not issued helmets who sustained head injuries and one officer with cracked ribs, according to the officers' union.

It took hours for the National Guard to arrive, a delay that has driven months of finger-pointing between key decision-makers that day.

They were called upon soon afterward to secure the Capitol during Biden's inauguration and faced another potential threat in early March linked to conspiracy theories falsely claiming Trump would retake the presidency.

"Today, once again, these heroes risked their lives to protect our Capitol and our Country, with the same extraordinary selflessness and spirit of service seen on January 6," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.

"On behalf of the entire House, we are profoundly grateful."

The suspect had been taken to the hospital in critical condition.

One of the officers who was injured was taken by police car to the hospital; the other was transported by emergency medical crews.

The US Capitol complex was placed on lockdown after the shooting, and staffers were told they could not enter or exit buildings. Video showed National Guard troops mobilizing near the area of the crash.

Video posted online showed a dark colored sedan crashed against a vehicle barrier and a police K-9 inspecting the vehicle.

Law enforcement and paramedics could be seen caring for at least one unidentified individual.

Biden had just departed the White House for Camp David when the attack occurred.

As customary, he was traveling with a member of the National Security Council Staff who was expected to brief him on the incident.

headline

New Attack on US Capitol- 1 Officer Killed, 1 Injured

One Capitol Police officer was killed and another was injured after a car rammed one of the barriers surrounding the Capitol complex on Friday, forcing the area into a lockdown, with police fatally shooting the suspect.

Police said a vehicle ran into two officers. A suspect exited the vehicle with a knife and started “lunging” toward officers, who then fired on the person, acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said at a briefing Friday afternoon.

“He did not respond to verbal commands. The suspect did start lunging toward U.S. Capitol Police officers, at which time U.S. Capitol Police officers fired upon the suspect,” she said.

“The suspect has been pronounced deceased. Two U.S. Capitol Police officers were transported to two different hospitals, and it is with a very, very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries,” she said.

Capitol Police identified the officer who was killed as William Evans, a member of the Capitol Police force for 18 years.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who ordered flags to fly at half-staff to honor the slain officer, called Evans “a martyr for our democracy.”

“Members of Congress, staff and Capitol workers, and indeed all Americans are united in appreciation for the courage of the U.S. Capitol Police. Today, once again, these heroes risked their lives to protect our Capitol and our Country, with the same extraordinary selflessness and spirit of service seen on January 6. On behalf of the entire House, we are profoundly grateful,” she said in a statement.

Police said they will continue to investigate the motive behind the attack.

“It does not appear to be terrorism-related, but obviously we’ll continue to investigate to see if there’s some type of nexus,” acting Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee III said of the attack.

“Whoever or whatever, we just don’t know right now, so we have a responsibility to investigate that to get to the bottom of this, whether the attack was at law enforcement or whoever, we have a responsibility to get to the bottom of it,” he said.

Pittman said the suspect was not previously known to Capitol Police “so there’s no indication at this time that there’s any nexus to any member of Congress.”

The acting police chief previously told lawmakers that threats against members of Congress have nearly doubled in the past year.

National Guard troops responded to the incident on Friday and were seen in videos shared on social media lining up with their shields at various intersections near the Capitol.

“The DC National Guard deployed a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) composed of National Guard soldiers and airmen to the Capitol complex this afternoon to support the U.S. Capitol Police. Due to operational security, we cannot discuss further details regarding the QRF,” the D.C. National Guard said in a statement to The Hill, adding no guardsmen were injured in the incident.

A number of National Guard members have been patrolling the Capitol since the deadly Jan. 6 riot and about 2,300 National Guard troops remain in D.C.

As the scene was unfolding early Friday afternoon, a Fox News reporter said two people were seen on stretchers outside the Capitol, and a helicopter was spotted landing in the area to respond to the incident.

Capitol Police sent out a notice shortly after the attack saying there was an “external security threat.” No one was allowed to enter or leave the building and staff was advised to stay away from doors and windows. The Capitol lockdown was lifted shortly after 3 p.m. after officers concluded their press conference.

The incident comes as U.S. intelligence agencies warned the nation remains at an elevated risk for domestic terror attacks, with a report issued last month warning of the threat posed by lone-wolf attacks.

Friday’s incident took place on the Senate side of the Capitol by a security station near an entrance frequently used by lawmakers and their staff. Congress is in recess this week.

“Praying for the United States Capitol Police officers who were attacked at the Capitol. We are still learning what’s taken place. Grateful to all the USCP and first responders who are on the scene,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tweeted.

“The brave men and women of the United States Capitol Police put their lives on the line every day to protect the heart of our democracy. We are hoping and praying for the recovery of those injured in the line of duty,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said in a statement.

The incident comes as security fencing surrounding the Capitol has been reduced in recent weeks. Just nine days ago, security forces finished removing the outer perimeter fencing that had been surrounding the complex, leaving just the fencing that closely circles the main Capitol building.

Capitol Police closed streets surrounding the Capitol on Friday afternoon, blocking intersections that were previously closed by the prior fencing.

The officer’s death Friday is the third within Capitol Police ranks since the beginning of this year, after Officer Brian Sicknick died in the line of duty during the Jan. 6 riot. Another officer, Howard Liebengood, died by suicide in the days after the Capitol insurrection.

“Please keep the United States Capitol Police family in your thoughts and prayers at this time. It has been an extremely difficult and challenging year for us,” Pittman said Friday afternoon.

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