Dying of Covid-19

Covid-19 attacks the lungs impeding intake of oxygen. People with worsening Covid-19 usually show up in the emergency ward because they are having difficulty breathing. As their lungs deteriorate, they have a harder and harder time getting enough oxygen with each breath. They need to breath faster, from an average 14 times a minute to 30 or 40. Gasping brings with it a very real sense of panic.

Doctors say many patients are certain they are dying. The struggle for missing oxygen is that overwhelming. An example is taking as deep a breath as you can. Hold and that is your starting point for the next breath. Now imagine doing that for weeks on end. As breathing becomes more and more difficult patients are heavily sedated and attached to a ventilator. By this time COVID-19 has run its course, it is the immune response and damaged lungs that will not heal. Lungs become 'hard' and the heart is overloaded trying to force blood into them. As the heart fails, kidneys are the first to go. At this point most will die in days to weeks of organ failure.