/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/60171044b2a64295327c83b2/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=3661&cropY1=382&cropY2=2443&w=1200&resize=1200,676&ssl=1 "‘Captain Tom,’ 100-Year-Old Who Raised Million For U.K.’s NHS, Hospitalized With Coronavirus")
Topline
The 100-year-old British veteran Tom Moore, who raised about $45 million in donations for medical workers battling the coronavirus pandemic by walking laps in his front yard, was hospitalized Sunday after being diagnosed with Covid-19.
Tom Moore and his daughter Hannah celebrate his 100th birthday with an RAF flypast in April.
Getty Images
Key Facts
His daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, said her father had been battling a case of pneumonia for weeks before testing positive for coronavirus last week.
Moore was admitted to Bedford Hospital near his home in Bedfordshire Sunday when he began to have trouble breathing.
Although he is being treated in a ward he is not in an intensive care unit, his daughter noted.
“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,” Ingram-Moore said in a statement Sunday.
The news of Moore’s hospitalization was met with well-wishes from across the country, including from Prime Minister Boris Johnson: “You’ve inspired the whole nation, and I know we are all wishing you a full recovery,” he wrote on Twitter.
Key Background
Moore became a beloved national figure in the spring of 2020, when he asked friends and family to sponsor him to walk 100 laps around his front yard for his 100th birthday in April as a fundraiser for the National Health Service. His goal was to raise roughly $1,200, but his fundraiser soon became a national sensation, and Moore ended up donating around $45 million. In July, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Moore in one of her first public appearances in months.
Tangent
Earlier this month, daily coronavirus infections hit an all-time high in the U.K. with a more contagious strain circulating in the country. Researchers initially said that while the mutation appeared to be more infectious, there was no evidence to suggest it was more dangerous. However, Johnson more recently said there appears to be some evidence the strain could be associated with a higher rate of mortality, though more research is needed. New daily cases have steadily dropped since early January, though they still remain higher than during the country’s first and second waves.
Further Reading
Queen Elizabeth Knights ‘Captain Tom’ After WWII Vet Raises $40 Million For NHS (Forbes)
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