Is this part, that you left out of # 1, true from a medical perspective?
“Clearly, if the man died the next day, he was highly contagious when Obama met him...”
From what I have read, including ProMed, the infected person is contagious for 3 days before symptoms appear to 7 days after they appear.
I also recall another anecdote about a man who died a day after his symptoms appeared. Don’t recall the details, but virulent flu can trigger other things, like a heart attack or the lungs can suddenly fill with fluid. It may depend on someone’s general health before being infected.
We all routinely ignore cold and flu symptoms because in the past, they have resolved without mortality.
For the record, I think this is simply a Black Swan and not necessarily an engineered virus. Spring in Mexico is a popular time for inexpensive vacations. This could have started almost anywhere, given air flight, and just happened to be noticed first in Mexico. As for anyone first protecting themselves, just from observation, flu vaccines can commonly trigger the disease itself &/or not necessarily protect someone. My guess is this is because of the mutation rate.