Trump Administration Erases COVID Resources, Pushes Lab Leak Narrative
The Trump administration has dramatically transformed the federal government’s primary COVID-19 information websites, replacing public health resources with content promoting the lab leak theory of the virus’s origin. The overhaul, implemented Friday, redirects visitors from previously health-focused sites to a new White House page titled “Lab Leak: The True Origins of COVID-19,” according to CBS News.
The Department of Health and Human Services had operated COVID.gov and COVIDTests.gov for the past two years, connecting Americans to resources about the virus, vaccines, and free testing options. Those HHS websites now redirect to the White House page, which cites information from the Republican-led Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic’s report last year.
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From Health Resource to Political Position
The revamped site explicitly promotes the theory that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, rather than through natural animal-to-human transmission. According to Fox News, a senior administration official stated: “This administration prioritizes transparency over all else. The American people deserve to know the truth about the COVID pandemic, and we will always find ways to reach communities with that message.”
The website transformation is part of a broader administration effort to reshape the pandemic narrative. The new site outlines evidence supporting the lab leak theory, including claims that a biological characteristic found in the virus was not found in nature and that Wuhan, where the first coronavirus case was found, is home to China’s “foremost SARs research lab.”
“If there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced. But it hasn’t,” the site asserts, presenting the lab leak theory as definitive despite ongoing scientific debate.
Public Health Information Vanishes Amid Ongoing Pandemic
The website transformation creates a potential information gap for Americans still seeking COVID-related health resources. The CDC reports approximately 325 Americans have died from COVID per week on average over the past four weeks, and as of April 5, less than a quarter of U.S. adults have received an updated COVID vaccine.
The revamped site no longer provides information on how to access COVID tests, vaccines, or treatments. Hours after the new page rolled out, federal health agency websites continued directing readers to that link for information about COVID testing, even though such information was no longer available there. An HHS spokesperson told CBS News the department was in the process of updating their web pages accordingly.
Federal Buildings Stripped of COVID Signage
Beyond the website changes, federal agencies were ordered this month to remove any signage related to COVID-19, according to a memo obtained by CBS News. The directive, authored by acting General Services Administrator Stephen Ehikian and dated April 8, instructs all agencies to “remove all COVID-related signage from federally owned buildings and leased space,” citing the end of the Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration on May 11, 2023.
One federal employee working in a healthcare clinic described discovering the directive when nursing staff began removing virus references from their facility walls. The memo also directed agencies to display official portraits of President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance immediately while removing portraits of the previous administration.
Contested Science Presented as Fact
While the website presents the lab leak theory as conclusive, the scientific community remains divided. According to Fox7 Austin, “The origins of COVID have never been completely proven. Scientists are unsure whether the virus jumped from an animal, as many other viruses have, or came from a laboratory accident.”
An assessment by the Central Intelligence Agency ordered by the Biden administration concluded “with low confidence” in January that a laboratory origin was more likely than a natural origin. However, both a natural origin and a laboratory origin remained plausible explanations.
The Trump administration’s CIA reported earlier in 2025 that a lab leak was the likely origin of the COVID-19 virus. The Department of Energy under the Biden administration and former FBI Director Christopher Wray in 2023 also indicated evidence pointed toward the lab leak theory.
Pandemic Public Health Measures Questioned
The new website also questions the scientific basis for pandemic-era public health measures. “The ‘six feet apart’ social distancing recommendation — which shut down schools and small business across the country — was arbitrary and not based on science,” it states, claiming Dr. Fauci testified in closed-door testimony that the guidance “sort of just appeared.”
The site similarly dismisses mask mandates, stating: “There was no conclusive evidence that masks effectively protected Americans from COVID-19. Public health officials flip-flopped on the efficacy of masks without providing Americans scientific data — causing a massive uptick in public distrust.”
The Trump campaign shared a screenshot of the new website on social media with the message: “TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!”
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