Here's what I remember reading: ventilators are meant for people who are too weak to expand their lungs; they are not meant for people whose breathing rate is normal but are whose lung tissue, due to phlegm or whatever, is not absorbing oxygen and transporting that oxygen into the bloodstream. Ventilators force air into the lungs forcing the lungs to expand and fill with air. *Ventilators have to be calibrated to the capacity of the persons lungs before use*. If that is not done, the lungs are overinflated, causing irreparable damage; essentially destroying the muscles that regulate natural breathing. At best, the patient will never be able to breathe on their own again. Even if the ventilator is calibrated properly, if air is mechanically forced into the lungs of a person whose breathing muscles are working properly, their natural breathing rhythm fights against the rhythm of the breathing machine causing extreme stress. To avoid this stress, they're putting the people on the ventilators who are not weak on sedatives. From what I understand, the main danger from ventilators is the stupid untrained staff not calibrating them before use. Too much or too little air will either kill a person or suffocate them. Ventilators were recommended by the experts early on before the actual mechanism of the illness was fully understood. If a person is extremely weak and delirious with fever while experiencing low oxygen, then yes, a ventilator is necessary, but the morons are just putting everyone on one whether or not they need it. HQC plus zinc is what fixes the low oxygen absorption problem, but that has effectively been outlawed in many states. Feel free to correct me if I have any of this wrong.