A US federal website that used to feature information on vaccines, testing and treatment for Covid-19 has been transformed into a page supporting the theory that the pandemic originated with a lab leak.
The covid.gov website shows a photo of US President Donald Trump walking between the words “lab” and “leak” under a White House heading.
It mentions that Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus first began spreading, is home to a research lab with a history of conducting virus research with “inadequate biosafety levels”.
The web page also accuses Anthony Fauci, the former director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, of pushing a “preferred narrative” that Covid-19 originated in nature.
The origins of Covid-19 have never been proven. Scientists are unsure whether the virus jumped from an animal, as many other viruses have, or came from a laboratory accident. A US intelligence analysis released in 2023 said there is insufficient evidence to prove either theory.
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Beijing rejects US agency report saying Covid-19 likely emerged from Chinese lab leak
Beijing rejects US agency report saying Covid-19 likely emerged from Chinese lab leak
It is common for government websites to get a makeover from one administration to the next, but the latest overhaul has been more extensive than usual.