The infection of SARS-CoV has been reported in the brains from both patients and experimental animals, where the brainstem was heavily infected. Furthermore, some coronaviruses have been demonstrated able to spread via a synapse-connected route to the medullary cardiorespiratory center from the mechano- and chemoreceptors in the lung and lower respiratory airways. In light of the high similarity between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV2, it is quite likely that the potential invasion of SARS-CoV2 is partially responsible for the acute respiratory failure of COVID-19 patients.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32104915
So pneumonia and cytokine storms might be an only partial explanation for respirtory failure.
Somebody tell the “it’s just a head cold” or “same as the flu” trolls about the brain stem infection findings.
Could flooding the lungs with fluid disable these "mechano- and chemoreceptors in the lung", and that alone interrupts the breathing reflex? Or are they claiming, or suspecting, that the infection that somehow reached the brain stops the breathing reflex?
Reminds me of the stories of birds dropping out of the sky, suddenly dead. I guess that's what has happened to some in China ... people just suddenly drop dead.