OKC Attorney With Coronavirus (COVID-19) Admitted To Local Hospital, Fighting For His Life

A local attorney was admitted into the hospital fighting for his life less than a week after warning the legal community about the dangers of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The attorney is in an ICU unit at OU Medical Center that is just for patients with coronavirus. One of 44-year-old Chris Sloan’s friends forced him there and possibly saved his life.

Sloan went from being a healthy, happy world-traveler to barely being able to take a breath. The Oklahoma City-based attorney was admitted into the ICU 11 days after noticing coronavirus symptoms.

“He was feeling very weak and short-of-breath, and one of his friends there in town said, 'if you don’t call the ER, then I’m going to,'” said David Sloan, Chris' brother. “The ambulance came in and found him slumped over in his doorway.”

His brother said Sloan did not have to be put on a ventilator but was on oxygen. Sloan started medication treatment on Monday.  

“They have him on a course of Azithromycin, a Z pack and Hydroxychloroquine,” said Sloan. “I’m not sure how it’s pronounced exactly, but it’s the drug that’s used to treat malaria.”

Sloan's family cannot visit him in the hospital. They get daily phone updates from hospital staff and have brief phone conversations with Sloan. They are all waiting to see if the medication makes a difference.

“From a mental perspective, he’s much more positive than he was just three days ago,” said Sloan. “But he’s got a ways to go. He’ll be in the hospital for a number of days longer.”

Sloan's loved ones hope the public takes his experience to heart.

“It makes you realize, it’s not just the flu,” said Sloan. “It’s not just something that affects elderly or people who are already sick. It can affect healthy individuals that are middle-aged or younger.”

OU staff told Sloan's family that the special unit for coronavirus patients is not full at this time.