Biden orders investigation of Covid-19 origin

President Joe Biden (Alex Brandon/AP)

President Joe Biden has ordered US intelligence officials to “redouble” their efforts to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, including any possibility the trail might lead to a Chinese laboratory.

After months of minimising that possibility as a fringe theory, the Biden administration is joining worldwide pressure for China to be more open about the outbreak, aiming to head off complaints the president has not been tough enough as well as to use the opportunity to press China on alleged obstruction.