MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/. Lung ventilation in combination with infusion therapy is unable to save 70% of COVID-19 patients, however, if non-invasive methods of respiratory support are employed at early stages of lung pathology the chances of survival are far better, the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Vice-President Vladimir Chekhonin said during an online meeting of the RAS Presidium on Tuesday.

Such conclusions are based on the results of research into the effectiveness of non-invasive lung ventilation (through a mask) of patients with COVID-19-related acute respiratory failure, conducted at the Sechenov University. Scientists surveyed a group of 76 patients to find out that if applied at early stages, non-invasive lung ventilation helped doctors successfully cope with acute respiratory failure in 71% of cases without resorting to lung ventilation.

"It turned out that with a high degree of probability early non-invasive lung ventilation is successful [in the treatment of acute respiratory failure caused by COVID-19]. If non-invasive lung ventilation is employed too late, infusion therapy and artificial lung ventilation have to be used, but the death rate is as high as 70%," Chekhonin said.

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 6,383,800 people have been infected worldwide and more than 377,700 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 2,920,880 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.

To date, a total of 423,741 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 186,985 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 5,037 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.