Federal COVID Websites Now Promote Lab Leak Theory

Key TakeawaysCovid.gov and Covidtests.gov now redirect to a site promoting the theory that a lab leak caused the pandemicScientists and U.S. intelligence agencies say there is no direct proof of a lab leakThe new websites contain misleading claims about where and how the virus originated.TUESDAY, April 22, 2025 — The Trump administration has replaced two major federal websites for COVID information with a new page that promotes the theory that the virus came from a lab in China.Covid.gov and Covidtests.gov, which once helped people order COVID tests and find public health information, now redirect to a new page titled "Lab Leak." The page shows an image of President Donald Trump along with the words "the true origins of Covid-19."The new site claims the virus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where COVID research had been ongoing. It raises concerns about lab safety and references recent CIA support for the lab leak theory, The New York Times reported.But the site doesn't share key details such as genetic data from a Wuhan wild-animal market where many of the first COVID cases were found.Many scientists and several intelligence agencies still believe the virus most likely jumped from animals to humans at the market, a theory backed by genetics and patterns in early cases.Some government agencies, like the FBI and Energy Department, have expressed some support for the lab leak theory.But others, including five U.S. intelligence bodies, still consider natural animal-to-human spread more likely, The Times said.The CIA recently shifted to supporting the lab theory, but with "low confidence" and no new evidence.The new website also said that some workers “were sick with COVID-like symptoms in the fall of 2019.”But a 2023 declassified report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said there was no sign that the Wuhan lab ever had the virus or one closely related to it before the outbreak.The new website also includes inaccurate claims, such as “the virus possesses a biological characteristic that is not found in nature.” The Times noted that this appears to be a reference to a feature that helps the virus get inside cells, known as the furin cleavage site.Scientists say these features are found in other coronaviruses and are not signs of lab engineering, The Times reported.In fact, researchers say a lab-made virus would likely lack that feature entirely.The website also attacks public health figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and presidential advisor, and criticizes pandemic safety measures like lockdowns and wearing masks.Researchers have shown that many early COVID patients lived near the Wuhan market, and virus samples found there included genetic material from animals like raccoon dogs. This further supports the idea of animal-to-human spread.More informationThe National Institutes of Health has more on the origin of COVID.SOURCE: The New York Times, April 18, 2025.What This Means For YouThe government’s main COVID sites now promote a controversial lab leak theory..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Federal COVID Websites Now Promote Lab Leak Theory

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