Trump turns a COVID information website into a promotion page for the
lab leak theory
[April 21, 2025]
By The Associated Press
A federal website that used to feature information on vaccines, testing
and treatment for COVID-19 has been transformed into a page supporting
the theory that the pandemic originated with a lab leak.
The covid.gov website shows a photo of President Donald Trump walking
between the words “lab” and “leak” under a White House heading. It
mentions that Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus first began spreading,
is home to a research lab with a history of conducting virus research
with “inadequate biosafety levels.”
The web page also accuses Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, of pushing a
“preferred narrative” that COVID-19 originated in nature.
The origins of COVID have never been proven. Scientists are unsure
whether the virus jumped from an animal, as many other viruses have, or
came from a laboratory accident. A U.S. intelligence analysis released
in 2023 said there is insufficient evidence to prove either theory.
[to top of second column]
|
 It’s common for government websites
to get a makeover from one administration to the next, but the
latest overhaul has been more extensive than usual. Public health
data was scrubbed, particularly any information involving
transgender people. The Pentagon also removed photos that were
believed to celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion.
The covid.gov site used to include information on
how to order free COVID tests and described how to stay up to date
with your COVID-19 vaccine, saying it's “the best way you can
protect you and your loved ones.” It advised people how to get
treatment right away if they get sick and added links to learn more
information about long COVID.
About 325 Americans have died from COVID per week on average over
the past four weeks, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. As of April 5, less than a quarter of adults
in the U.S. have gotten an updated COVID vaccine. Millions worldwide
have had long COVID, with dozens of widely varying symptoms,
including fatigue and brain fog.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
