'I Do Remember Birds Flying In My Room': Doctor Recalls Hallucinations While Battling COVID-19

OKLAHOMA CITY (CBS Local) -- An Oklahoma doctor who spent three weeks in intensive care battling COVID-19 says he barely remembers anything.

Dr. Michael Ward, 71, said he suffered from a fever, muscle pain and hallucinations in an ICU bed at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa.

"I do remember birds flying in my room," he told KFOR. "I remember petting my dog and I remember having people visit me who are no longer living."

Ward says he likely contracted the coronavirus from a patient who had just returned from Italy. Ward's wife also tested positive for COVID-19.

"It was very difficult to keep smiling because I wanted to cry," he said.

Ward said he's sharing his story to remind Oklahomans to keep their guard up and stay healthy as the state begins to reopen.

"It was the most difficult time of my life," he said. "I swear you do not want to do what I had to do."

Ward lost 50 pounds and now relies on a walker. Doctors say it'll be at least eight weeks before he is recovered.

"I've never been scared to go to work before, and now I am scared," he said.

In:
• Oklahoma
• COVID-19
• Coronavirus