Captain Tom Moore, the 100-year-old British veteran whose campaign to raise money for healthcare professionals during the coronavirus pandemic won hearts around the world, tested positive for COVID-19.
Moore was being treated for pneumonia at home before the positive test for COVID last week, and he was hospitalized after he started having trouble breathing, his daughter Hannah tweeted on Sunday. Moore is being treated at Bedford Hospital, about an hour north of London, but so far he has not needed intensive care, she said.
Moore, who served in World War II and is affectionately known as Captain Tom, gained global attention last April for his mission to make 100 laps in his backyard before turning 100 to raise money for Kingdom Health workers. United.
Although his original target was £ 1,000, Moore ended up raising more than £ 38 million. Using a walker, he took his final turns at a live television event surrounded by a military honor guard.
At the time, her daughter Hannah said her father embarked on the challenge of walking 10 laps a day as a way to thank NHS officials for the “incredible care” he received after fracturing his hip.
Although Moore uses a walker to get around, he said he was able to manage the 25-meter stretch – 82 feet – one step at a time.
“I can move around slowly,” he told the BBC. “As long as people don’t want me to run too fast, I can control myself and will continue to run as long as I can.”
Moore’s charity campaign made him a national hero, and his 100th birthday was celebrated with hundreds of thousands of cards, murals and a Royal Air Force display over his home.
In May, the Captain Tom Foundation was formed to provide support to people who lived through illness and loneliness during the pandemic.