The government-operated website covid.gov, which previously served as a central hub for information on COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatment, now redirects to a White House webpage under the supervision of President Trump. This new webpage promotes the unverified theory that the COVID-19 pandemic originated from a laboratory in China.

This theory, which has been met with opposition from numerous virologists, was also presented in a report by House Republicans last year. The report concluded that the pandemic started with a lab leak in China. In response, House Democrats released a counter-report, stating that the investigation failed to determine the true origins of COVID-19.

Additionally, the covidtests.gov website, which allowed individuals to order free coronavirus tests, now redirects to the same White House webpage.

The new White House webpage also disseminates medical misinformation regarding the treatment of COVID-19, falsely claiming that social distancing, mask mandates, and lockdowns are ineffective in mitigating the spread of the virus. However, a substantial body of research, comprising hundreds of studies, has consistently shown that these preventative measures do indeed reduce the transmission of respiratory infections like COVID-19.

Since President Trump’s reassumption of office, numerous government websites have undergone edits to align with the administration’s agenda. With the assistance of Elon Musk’s DOGE, the government has attempted to remove hundreds of words related to diversity from official documents. This includes terms such as “Black,” “disability,” “diversity,” “gender,” “racism,” “women,” and more. Furthermore, the government has removed mentions of scientifically-proven climate change from environmental websites, reflecting a broader effort to reshape the online presence of federal agencies.