His executive order targeted the elimination of what is called gain-of-function, which studies how viruses become more powerful. The United States funded that sort of research at the Wuhan lab, in the city where the initial outbreak was reported. But a competing theory is that a person somehow came into contact with an infected animal.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning US-funded virus research amid arguments between America and China about the origin of Covid.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday afternoon to halt federal funding for risky virus research that Republicans argue may have been the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic. The order aims to stop scientists from conducting “gain-of-function” research with federal funding.