Instagram's Threads never wanted to be a platform for hard news or politics. Now it's blocking searches about COVID-19.

• Users on Threads are unable to search for COVID-19-related terms including "coronavirus" and "vaccines."
• Meta said the block is temporary while it rolls out a new search tool.
• It's the latest sign that Meta is reluctant for Threads to become a place for news and politics.

Meta has temporarily blocked searches for COVID-19-related topics on Threads as cases in the US rise after rolling out a new search tool for its X, formerly Twitter, rival.