The government-operated website covid.gov, which previously provided information on COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatment, now redirects to a White House page advocating the unproven theory that COVID-19 originated from a Chinese laboratory. This change has occurred under President Trump’s administration.
This theory, disputed by many virologists, was supported in a report by House Republicans last year, asserting that the pandemic began with a lab leak in China. In response, House Democrats released a rebuttal stating that the investigation did not succeed in determining the true origins of COVID-19.
Additionally, the covidtests.gov website, which was formerly used to order free coronavirus tests, also redirects to this new page. The White House’s updated website presents medical misinformation regarding COVID-19 treatment, incorrectly asserting that social distancing, mask mandates, and lockdowns are ineffective in curbing the spread of the virus. Nonetheless, hundreds of studies have demonstrated that these preventative measures significantly reduce the transmission of respiratory infections, including COVID-19.
Since President Trump resumed his role, various government websites have been modified to reflect his administration’s agenda. With assistance from Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative, the government has attempted to eliminate numerous words related to diversity from government documents. This includes terms such as “Black,” “disability,” “diversity,” “gender,” “racism,” “women,” and others. Furthermore, mentions of scientifically-supported climate change have been removed from environmental websites.
