Tom Moore, the 100-year-old British World War II veteran who captivated the nation by raising more than $40 million toward COVID-19 relief last year, was admitted to the hospital on Sunday with the virus.
Hannah Ingram-Moore, his daughter, announced in a statement that her father, known as “Captain Tom,” was taken to Bedford Hospital in the U.K. He was having trouble breathing. She said he has been treated for pneumonia over the past few weeks and tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
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“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 that they can to make him comfortable and hopefully return home as soon as possible,” according to her statement on Twitter.
Ingram-Moore said her father was being treated in a ward, not in the intensive care unit.
The Army veteran, who uses a walker, set out to raise about $1,200 for those working on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis. He walked laps around an 82-foot loop in his Bedfordshire garden during the early stages of the pandemic last April.
Captain Sir Thomas Moore poses for the media after receiving his knighthood from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, during a ceremony at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England on July 17, 2020. (Chris Jackson/Pool Photo via AP, File)
He eventually raised more than $40 million for the county’s health service — and in the process became a national hero.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had called Moore “a beacon of light through the fog of coronavirus,” was among those to wish him a speedy recovery.
“My thoughts are very much with @CaptainTomMoore and his family,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. “You’ve inspired the whole nation, and I know we are all wishing you a full recovery.”
“The whole nation hopes you get well soon @captaintommoore. You’ve been an inspiration to us all throughout this crisis,” wrote Labour leader Keir Starmer.
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Moore had risen to the rank of captain while serving during World War II, and was given the honorary title of colonel after his fundraiser. He also received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II during a private ceremony at Windsor Castle last July.
Britain is currently vaccinating all its elderly population against the coronavirus, Reuters reported. A family spokesperson told Sky News that Moore had not yet received a shot because he was being treated for pneumonia.
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“We understand that everyone will be wishing him well. We are of course focusing on my father and will update you when we are able to,” added Ingram-Moore.