I'm in no way qualified to explain this, but going by kurtzgezagt's explanation[1] the main cause of damage isn't the virus replicating itself but rather the se

I'm in no way qualified to explain this, but going by kurtzgezagt's explanation[1] the main cause of damage isn't the virus replicating itself but rather the severe reaction of the immune system, which isn't directly proportional to the amount of viruses (although it does eventually go down in the absence of viruses). When you're too late with administering then the immune system has already done most of its work in destroying the virus (as well as the surrounding tissue) and it takes a while for things to go back to normal, if things go well. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtN-goy9VOY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtN-goy9VOY