China has suspended or closed the social media accounts of more than 1,000 critics of the government’s COVID response, as the country roll backs harsh anti-virus restrictions and braces for the Lunar New Year holiday. The popular Sina Weibo social media platform addressed 12,854 violations including attacks on experts, scholars and medical workers and issued temporary or permanent bans on 1,120 accounts, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-suspends-social-media-accounts-of-covid-policy-critics-01673098993?mod=search_headlineIn the U.S., the seven-day average of new cases stood at 67,246 on Sunday, according to [l: a New York Times tracker|https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html?action=click&block=storyline_menu_recirc&is_new=false&name=styln-coronavirus%C2%AEion=TOP_BANNER&pgtype=LegacyCollection&variant=0_Control]. That’s down 1% from two weeks ago and below the recent peak of 70,508 on Christmas Eve. The daily average for hospitalizations was up 18% at 47,500. The average for deaths was 509, up 19% from two weeks ago.
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