The White House has launched a redesigned Covid-19 website that promotes the controversial theory asserting that the virus escaped from a Chinese laboratory, portraying it as the pandemic’s “true origins.”
The Covid.gov website, which previously concentrated on vaccine and testing information, now features a prominent image of President Donald Trump and critiques the pandemic policies enacted under former president Joe Biden.
The site also takes aim at Anthony Fauci, Mr. Biden’s former chief medical advisor, for advocating what it terms the “preferred narrative that Covid-19 emerged naturally.”
It outlines five bullet points intended to reinforce the lab leak theory, highlighting that Wuhan, the location of the first known coronavirus case, is home to China’s “leading SARS research lab” and has a track record of conducting research at “insufficient biosafety levels.”
The lab leak theory, once dismissed as a conspiracy notion, has recently gained traction in mainstream discussions within the United States.
Despite the ongoing debate remaining unresolved—both scientifically and politically—U.S. agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Energy have voiced their support for the theory, albeit with varying degrees of confidence.
Earlier this year, the Central Intelligence Agency revised its official position regarding the virus’s origins, stating that it was “more likely” to have leaked from a Chinese lab rather than being transmitted from animals.
This assessment provoked criticism from China, which asserted it was “extremely unlikely” that Covid-19 originated from a lab.
Beijing has also urged the United States to “stop politicising and instrumentalising the issue of origin-tracing.”
The United States and China are currently engaged in a significant trade war, with Washington announcing new port fees for Chinese-linked vessels and increased tariffs on Chinese goods earlier this week.
“I appreciate all efforts to investigate further,” commented Jamie Metzl, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, in response to the updated White House website.
“However, it would be unfortunate if such efforts diverted attention from critical work needed to prevent further infections and support individuals suffering from Covid-19 and long Covid,” he told NPR.
The newly launched site, which seems aimed at reshaping the political narrative surrounding Covid-19, also criticizes the mask and social distancing mandates that were implemented at the pandemic’s onset in 2020.
In a section labeled “Covid-19 misinformation,” it accused public health officials from the previous administration of vilifying “alternative treatments” and colluding with social media platforms to suppress dissenting opinions regarding the pandemic—a claim frequently echoed by U.S. conservatives.
The Biden administration has previously denied claims that it was suppressing or censoring conservative viewpoints.
The website update follows layoffs that began earlier this month at major U.S. health agencies, as the Trump administration undertakes a sweeping and scientifically disputed reorganization that will eliminate 10,000 jobs.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—who has concerned health experts with his rhetoric diminishing the significance of vaccines—stated that the layoffs are part of a major reform initiative within his department aimed at refocusing efforts on chronic disease prevention.
More than one million individuals have died from Covid-19 and related illnesses in the United States, with millions more affected by the disease globally.
