[Garth Wilkinson (OP)]

BBC Newsnight have claimed that Chinese doctors believe ventilators are not the best treatment.

[Edwina Lee]

I did not see the BBC news item.
Chinese doctors in Hong Kong tells us on TV that the use of Traditional Chinese Medicines method (herbal) to treat patients enabled patients to avoid developing more serious progression of the disease.
I've learnt early on, perhaps mid March that a patient in China was given blood oxygenation treatment. I posted this question when Boris Johnson washospitalised. I got a reply from an NHS therapist that we have 5 oxygenation units in UK scattered around 5 hospitals.
Re-using the blood plasma of recovered patients to treat covid-19 patients was considered by China early on, but WHO's advice at the time was that the low death rate of the virus does not justify the risk. I believe they did try the treatment eventually for patients at high risk of dying. Thailand was using it later.

[set fair]

It seems that for some patients, the problem is with the capilliaries in the lungs getting clogged rather than problems on the air side of the alvioli. I saw the histology slides on either Medcram or Peak Prosperity. Sorry can't do better than "some patients", I guess deceased patients.

[vhfpmr]

Article here worries that treatment might be doing more harm than good, and notes serious damage to patients that have apparently recovered well:
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://www.rainews.it/tgr/tagesschau/articoli/2020/04/tag-Coronavirus-Lungeschaden-Forschung-Uniklinik-Innsbruck-6708e11e-28dc-4843-a760-e7f926ace61c.html&prev=search