I can not speak directly to the treatment of only addicts in ICU with Covid. However (and this will raise a ton of naysayers who will refuse to believe me) the treatment protocols for Covid in the ICU for ventilated patients are designed primarily to reduce the number of viral particles expelled by the patient while ventilated. This is the first time I have ever seen a protocol for patient care that is based on fear of the infectious agent, rather than focused on patient recovery.
When infected with Covid the inside of the lungs develop a relatively thick secretion which makes it more difficult to process oxygen and maintain reasonable tidal volumes, hence the shortness of breath associated with Covid. Ventilated patients are given medication treatments to dry up these secretions, thereby reducing the dampness, and viral load, of the exhaled breath. Initially it sounds like a reasonable step, until you consider what effect this will have on the lung tissue: We dry out the slightly thick secretion...and still need it to be permeable, and flexible, to allow for oxygen exchange and proper lung inflation. No wonder only 3% of ventilated patients survived initially. There have been some improvements since then ,but still based on reducing exhaled virus, not patient care.
Changes to the resuscitation process are the same. Old approach: Patient down in cardiac arrest. Call for help, begin chest compressions, help arrives, attach defib pads, continue compressions, shock, etc. New Covid approach: Patient down with cardiac arrest. Leave room, go get isolation cart and place it at the door of patients room, call for help, get dressed in appropriate isolation gear, enter room, begin chest compressions, await other staff (who also must dress for isolation prior to entering room), when staff arrive and are dressed, run code as usual. Please remember, brain death begins at 4 minutes with no circulation. The old way wasn't that successful as the patient had usually been down a few minutes before someone noticed, but it had successes. The new way, which opens with LEAVE THE ROOM, means that the patient will have no one even attempting CPR for at least five minutes, likely closer to eight. So essentially the Covid resuscitation technique is: Patient in cardiac arrest, leave room, go for coffee, notify doctor that family needs to be made aware that patient died due to Covid.
And no, I would not recommend treating the DT's in ICU. Not that ICU can't handle it, just that it is an inappropriate use of resources. Also, to avoid DT's the patient just needs the proper medications, all of which can be administered via IV, in the ICU, or any other floor. As far as "letting them ride them out", your buddy got a nasty ass care team. There is no reason to do that, not best practice, not even inconvenient to treat, just plain old mean.