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Throughout March, as the pandemic gained momentum in the United States, much of the preparations focused on the breathing machines that were supposed to save everyone’s lives. New York State Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) and President Trump sparred over how many ventilators the state was short. DIYers brainstormed modifications to treat more patients. And ethicists agonized over how to allocate them fairly if we run out. (Cha, 4/22)

Nearly all coronavirus patients who needed ventilators in New York's largest health system to help them breathe died, a study found. Overall, about 20% of Covid-19 patients treated at Northwell Health died, and 88% of those placed on ventilators died, according to the study. (Fox, 4/22)

Reuters interviewed 30 doctors and medical professionals in countries including China, Italy, Spain, Germany and the United States, who have experience of dealing with COVID-19 patients. Nearly all agreed that ventilators are vitally important and have helped save lives. At the same time, many highlighted the risks from using the most invasive types of them - mechanical ventilators - too early or too frequently, or from non-specialists using them without proper training in overwhelmed hospitals. Medical procedures have evolved in the pandemic as doctors better understand the disease, including the types of drugs used in treatments. The shift around ventilators has potentially far-reaching implications as countries and companies ramp up production of the devices. (Aloisi, Beasley, Borter, Escritt and Kelland, 4/23)

They had bolstered their ranks with everyone available. They’d hired traveling respiratory therapists, to stop in at Massachusetts General Hospital before moving on, riding the tides of coronavirus from one packed ICU to the next. They’d borrowed others from the smoking cessation program, which had itself largely ceased. They’d brought in students with limited state licenses, to pick up whatever tasks their training had covered so far. (Boodman, 4/23)