The White House has redirected its COVID.gov website—once a central hub for testing, treatment, and vaccination resources—to a new landing page advocating for the lab leak theory as the true origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The newly launched page, titled “Lab Leak: True Origins of COVID-19,” puts forward a five-point case supporting the theory that the virus accidentally escaped from a research facility in Wuhan, China.
The page draws heavily on findings from a Republican-led Congressional report published in December 2024, and appears to take a more assertive stance than previous White House communications.
Among the assertions listed are that COVID-19 contains a biological trait “not found in nature,” that early case data points to a single origin, and that several researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology allegedly became ill with COVID-like symptoms in late 2019.
The page argues that a natural origin theory would have been proven by now, had credible evidence existed.
Critically, the page also revisits long-standing accusations against Dr. Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
It suggests he and other officials edited and promoted a scientific paper in 2020 to discredit the lab leak hypothesis and bolster the theory of natural zoonotic spillover.
Dr. Fauci has previously rejected such allegations, calling them “false” and “preposterous” during a House hearing in June 2024.
“I had no input into the content of the published paper,” he told lawmakers, adding, “The accusation that I tried to cover up the possibility of a lab origin is completely untrue.”
The White House page goes further still, featuring an image of Dr. Fauci and highlighting a pardon issued by then-President Joe Biden, described on the site as covering “any offenses.”
It also criticises agencies such as the NIH and HHS for alleged non-compliance with Congressional oversight, despite both having provided testimony and documents in response to inquiries.
The sudden redirection of COVID.gov has been met with concern by some public health experts, particularly as the website previously offered practical tools for managing COVID-19, including vaccine information and Long COVID resources.
“This is a stunning repurposing of what had been a vital public health portal,” said Dr. Allison Cummings, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University. “We’re seeing political messaging overtake science-based guidance at a time when trust in public health is still recovering.”
The origins of COVID-19 remain a topic of global debate. Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies have stated that they do not believe the virus was developed as a bioweapon, and that China’s leadership likely had no foreknowledge of the outbreak. However, the question of how the virus entered the human population continues to divide experts.
A declassified 2021 report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence acknowledged uncertainty and division within the intelligence community, while a 2023 update reaffirmed that most agencies remain split on whether the origin was natural or due to a lab incident.
The updated White House webpage also casts doubt on public health measures taken during the pandemic, questioning the effectiveness of masking, lockdowns, and social distancing—areas where scientific consensus still supports their role in reducing transmission during COVID-19 peaks.
This is not the first time the current administration has voiced scepticism regarding China’s handling of the early outbreak. In January, President Trump noted that COVID-19 had “strained” his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, though he added that their personal rapport remained largely intact.
As the international community continues to search for conclusive answers, the White House’s renewed focus on the lab leak theory is likely to further intensify an already polarised debate. For now, the scientific verdict on COVID-19’s origin remains elusive—and politically charged.
