LONDON (AP) – Tom Moore, a 100-year-old World War II veteran who captivated the British public in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic through his fundraising efforts, has been hospitalized with COVID- 19, said his daughter on Sunday.
Hannah Ingram-Moore revealed in a statement posted on Twitter that her father, widely known as Captain Tom, was hospitalized at Bedford Hospital because he needed “extra help” for his breathing.
She said that in recent weeks her father had been treated for pneumonia and that he had tested positive for coronavirus last week.
She said she was being treated in a ward, not in an intensive care unit.
“The medical care she has received over the last few weeks has been remarkable and we know that the wonderful staff at Bedford Hospital will do their best to make her comfortable and hopefully return home as soon as possible,” she said. .
Moore became an emblem of hope in the first weeks of the pandemic in April, when he walked 100 laps around his garden in England to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the National Health Service. Instead of aspiring for £ 1,000 ($ 1,370), he raised around £ 33 million ($ 45 million).
Moore, who rose to the rank of captain while serving in India and Burma during the war, was invested by Queen Elizabeth II in July for his fundraising efforts.
Best wishes came from all sides, including from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said in a tweet that Moore “inspired the entire nation and I know we all wish you a full recovery.”