"The largest study so far to look at mortality among coronavirus patients on ventilators was done by the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre in London. It found that among 98 ventilated patients in the U.K., just 33 were discharged alive. The numbers from a study of Wuhan, China, are even grimmer. Only 3 of 22 ventilated patients survived" [0].
Cuomo has already said this iirc; most people who go on a ventilator don't come off of it alive. That doesn't make it pointless to even have ventilators though, a 40% survival rate is certainly better than a 0% survival rate for those who need a ventilator.
It's both. You're sedated (comatose) to tolerate the tube and allow the machine to manage the pressure. After a few weeks the air pressure destroys your lungs and the sedation causes you to lose muscle strength. So you get sicker day by day.
I'm still waiting for an interview with a ventilator survivor. None so far.
[0]: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/02/8261052...