White House replaces Covid resource page with lab leak website

Anyone who tried to access Covid.gov, a federal website once dedicated to Covid resources, found something drastically different in its place Friday.

Anyone who tried to access Covid.gov, a federal website once dedicated to Covid resources, found something drastically different in its place Friday.

The page now redirects to a White House website suggesting that Covid originated in a research laboratory in Wuhan, China, before infecting humans. This much-debated “lab leak theory” emerged in the early days of the pandemic and has since gained popularity among some right-wing media outlets and conservative politicians. 

Whitehouse.govBefore Friday, Covid.gov was a tool to connect people to information about Covid vaccines, treatment, testing and long Covid. The website also formerly helped people find pharmacies and community health centers that offered Covid tests, medical visits and medications at once.  

Its sister site, Covidtests.gov, allowed people to order free Covid tests to their homes. That now redirects to the White House’s lab leak website as well.

“The Trump administration has been very clear that, in contrast to the previous administration, we WILL be the most transparent administration in U.S. history,” White House spokesman Kaelan Dorr said in a statement. “Nothing will stop us from innovating and finding creative ways to uphold our end of the bargain.”