Tom Moore, the centennial World War II veteran who captivated the British public in the early days of Coronavirus pandemic with his fundraising efforts, he has been hospitalized with COVID-19, his daughter said Sunday.
Hannah Ingram-Moore revealed in a statement on Twitter that her father, widely known as Captain Tom, has been admitted to Bedford Hospital because he needed “extra help” to breathe.
He said that during the last few weeks his father had been treated for pneumonia and that he had tested positive for coronavirus last week.
She said she is being treated in a ward, not in an intensive care unit.
DYLAN MARTINEZ / REUTERS
“The medical care he has received in recent weeks has been remarkable and we know the wonderful staff at Bedford Hospital will do their best to make him comfortable and we look forward to him returning home as soon as possible,” he said. .
Moore became an emblem of hope in the first weeks of the pandemic in April, when he made 100 laps around his garden in England for the National Health Service to coincide with its centenary. Instead of the £ 1,000 ($ 1,370) aspiration, he raised about £ 33 million ($ 45 million).
Moore, who achieved the rank of captain while serving in India and Burma during the war, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in July for his fundraising efforts.
Best wishes came from far away, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who tweeted that Moore had “inspired the whole nation and I know we all wish you a full recovery.”