I don't know the answer to the best time to give antivirals, but the lung inflammation happens for some, but not all patients. A non-trivial amount have relatively normal lungs, low oxygen saturation, and an extremely high heartrate.
The reasons for this are unknown, but it is an active area of research. Some doctors are beginning to call for treating covid patients like they altitude sickness.[1]
The reasons for this are unknown, but it is an active area of research. Some doctors are beginning to call for treating covid patients like they altitude sickness.[1]
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7096066/