Trump Administration Revamps COVID-19 Resources, Citing Lab Leak Theory

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration has overhauled federal health agency websites, replacing previous COVID-19 resources with a new page titled ‘Lab Leak: The True Origins of COVID-19,’ which launched on April 18, 2025. The initiative aims to highlight ongoing debates regarding the virus’s origins and to counter narratives that dispute the lab leak theory.

For the past two years, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) managed COVID.gov and COVIDTests.gov to provide Americans with access to vaccinations, testing, and treatment options for COVID-19. According to HHS, those sites have now been made obsolete, redirecting visitors to the White House page, which relies on findings from the Republican-led Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assessments previously suggested with ‘low confidence’ that a laboratory origin of the virus was more likely than a natural spillover into humans. However, the CIA indicated both scenarios remain plausible at this point.

The new White House webpage also addresses allegations against former National Institutes of Health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, and former Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. This page appears alongside messaging from Trump’s campaign claiming, ‘TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!’

Despite the launch of the ‘lab leak’ page, several federal health agency websites continued to redirect users to the new URL even as they lacked comprehensive information on COVID-19 testing. HHS indicated it was working to update its online resources accordingly.

Additionally, training sessions have been conducted among federal employees regarding the removal of COVID-related signage in federal buildings, following a directive following the expiration of the Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration on May 11, 2023. A memo circulated by General Services Administration (GSA) acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian instructed federal agencies to remove all COVID-19 signage and display official portraits of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.

GSA confirmed this memorandum, describing it as a normal function of updating tenant agencies about new display policies during administration transitions.

In comments to Fox News Digital, a senior administration official emphasized the focus on transparency, asserting that Americans deserve the truth about the COVID-19 pandemic.

The revamped COVID.gov site now presents arguments supporting the lab leak theory, reportedly undermining the credibility of previous scientific guidance that claimed the virus originated naturally. It highlights controversies surrounding social distancing and mask mandates, suggesting measures taken during the pandemic were not supported by sound scientific evidence.

Critics allege that public health officials have misled Americans with conflicting information and failed to present adequate justification for health decisions made during the pandemic. The webpage cites findings from the House Oversight Committee’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, fueling ongoing discussions about the integrity of the scientific community during the public health crisis.

Media narratives surrounding the origins of COVID-19 have evolved over time, with previous claims of a lab leak being dismissed as conspiracy theory now drawing renewed interest as former intelligence officials assert the theory’s legitimacy.