I believe some of the current spike is from the flu vaccine. We healthcare workers have done an informal study and a huge percentage of those that received this year’s flu shot was positive for covid within 7 days. I do not know how the first spike happened. Yes, it is definitely lab created as it is a Frankenstein virus and nothing that would have evolved. And yes, I believe it is transmitted as well because we have had staff that became positive after close exposure. I believe the exposure must be close - within a foot or two. And no, unless one is wearing an N95 the masks are not helpful. The swab thing in the US? Unlikely. There are too many suppliers AND the swabs used at the beginning of the initial outbreak were swabs that were in stock or had been for a long time since there is no expiration date. Plus, initially and still, to a point, certain criteria must be met - which includes symptoms. Why would you infect a person with your little metal star that is already infected and waste all of that money?