“So I'd have to guess this is mostly retail traders causing this price and volume increase.”

As I have mentioned before, the shares are moving inexorably toward retail longs with strong conviction and they in the main are not going to sell out for cheap, they know the power of the drug and what they hold. Today is a side show and can easily be brought down with a small short volume but there are fireworks and volume ahead with real news that will not be overcome with a few hundred thousand short shares. Current retail longs are not going to take the bait and stand in a defensive position. I have never sold a share and will only consider scaling out from much higher numbers.