White House pushes lab-leak theory on revamped Covid-19 website

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The White House has relaunched its official Covid-19 website with a bold shift in tone: spotlighting the controversial theory that the virus leaked from a Chinese laboratory.



The updated Covid.gov site features a full-width image of President Donald Trump and frames the lab-leak hypothesis as the pandemic’s "true origins."

Previously, the site focused on promoting vaccines, testing, and public health resources. The relaunch marks a sharp pivot in tone and political messaging.

The website includes five bullet points supporting the lab-leak theory, including claims that the Wuhan Institute of Virology, located near the site of the first known Covid-19 outbreak, conducted SARS research under inadequate biosafety conditions.

It also targets Dr. Anthony Fauci, former President Joe Biden’s former chief medical advisor, accusing him of promoting the narrative that the virus emerged naturally via animal transmission.

The site further criticizes early pandemic measures such as mask mandates and social distancing guidelines implemented in 2020.

Stance shifts as China pushes back

Once dismissed as a fringe idea, the lab-leak theory has gained traction in recent years.

The FBI and the Department of Energy have both expressed support for the theory, though with varying levels of confidence. Earlier this year, the CIA stated that a lab leak was "more likely" than animal transmission.

China has rejected the theory as "extremely unlikely," urging the U.S. to stop politicizing the search for Covid-19’s origins. The relaunch of the website coincides with rising U.S.-China tensions, including new tariffs and port fees targeting Chinese-linked goods and vessels.

Public health experts have expressed concern about the political direction of the site.

"I welcome efforts to uncover the truth," said Jamie Metzl, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. "But it would be a terrible shame if such efforts distracted from the essential work of preventing further infections and treating people with Covid-19 and long Covid."

Alleged censorship as health agencies face cuts

A section of the site titled "Covid-19 misinformation" accuses former health officials of suppressing alternative treatments and collaborating with social media platforms to silence dissenting views, a claim frequently echoed by U.S. conservatives. The Biden administration has denied any involvement in censorship.

The revamp follows significant job cuts at federal health agencies. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has drawn criticism for questioning vaccine safety, said up to 10,000 positions would be eliminated as part of a restructuring focused on chronic disease prevention.

Covid-19 has claimed more than one million lives in the United States, with millions more affected globally.

VietBF@ Sưu tập