The White House has transitioned some government websites that previously offered COVID-19 information to a new site focusing on the theory that the COVID-19 pandemic originated from a Chinese laboratory leak. The websites covid.gov and covidtests.gov, which provided essential public information regarding vaccines, treatments, and testing, now redirect users to a webpage titled “Lab Leak. The True Origins of COVID-19.”
The lab leak theory suggests that the virus responsible for COVID-19 may have escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a laboratory in Wuhan, China, subsequently leading to the global spread of the virus. Federal agencies have issued conflicting reports on the virus’s origins, and a House investigation completed last December suggested that a lab leak is the most plausible explanation. However, many scientists argue that the virus likely emerged naturally from animals and was transmitted to humans in a Wuhan wildlife market.
The newly established webpage features a prominent image of former President Trump and criticizes the Biden administration for its pandemic response efforts, such as mask mandates, lockdowns, and social distancing guidelines. It asserts that federal health officials misled the public and suppressed alternative narratives, including the lab leak hypothesis, to control public health decisions. The page also comments on Dr. Anthony Fauci, who directed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the outbreak, and critiques President Biden’s support of him.
In response to inquiries from NPR regarding the redirection of these sites and the fate of the information that was previously available, White House spokesperson Kaelan Dorr emphasized that the current administration is committed to transparency and innovation in delivering information. Furthermore, Jamie Metzl, an opponent of the wildlife spillover theory, acknowledged the initiative to further investigate the origins but cautioned against diverting focus from efforts to combat COVID-19 and its long-term effects.
Some experts have criticized the new site, suggesting it serves a political agenda rather than a scientific inquiry. Virologist Angela Rasmussen noted that the evidence supporting the lab leak theory presented on the site is either incorrect or misleading. Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist, argued that the scientific evidence aligns more closely with the natural spillover hypothesis rather than the lab leak scenarios.
Representative James Comer, R-Ky., who led a committee investigating the pandemic’s origins, commended the Trump administration for its transparency with the new site, asserting it provides the truth about the pandemic to the American public.
