100-year-old veteran who raised millions for UK health workers is hospitalized with coronavirus
Capt. Sir Tom Moore, the 100-year-old hero who raised millions of British pounds by walking 100 laps around his yard, has been hospitalized with the coronavirus.
His daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore posted the update on his Twitter account Sunday night, writing that her father had recently been treated for pneumonia and tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
The World War II veteran, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, needed additional help with his breathing and was being treated in a hospital ward, although he is not in the intensive care unit, she wrote.
“The medical care he has received in the last few weeks has been remarkable and we know that the wonderful staff at Bedford Hospital will do all they can to make him comfortable and hopefully return home as soon as possible,” she wrote.
A spokeswoman for the family told the BBC that the captain had not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine due to the medication he was on for pneumonia.
— Captain Tom Moore (@captaintommoore) January 31, 2021
Well-wishes for the national hero poured in on social media, with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying he had “inspired the whole nation.”
My thoughts are very much with @CaptainTomMoore and his family. You’ve inspired the whole nation, and I know we are all wishing you a full recovery. https://t.co/Gm0S07umgd
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 31, 2021
London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote that he was hoping to see “Captain Tom back home with his family soon.”
The Twitter account for England’s national football teams said: “We’re very sorry to hear this. We are thinking of you all and hoping Captain Sir Tom makes a full and speedy recovery.”
Moore rose to international fame in April when he started his charity walk for the British National Health Service (NHS) to commemorate his 100th birthday.
He sought to raise 1,000 pounds — approximately $1,372 — by walking the length of his 82-foot garden back and forth 100 times with his walker. He had recently gotten his hip replaced and was using walking as a means of physical therapy.
The fundraiser quickly went viral and Moore has raised more than $40 million to date.
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