Captain Tom Moore, the 100-year-old British veteran whose campaign to raise money for health workers during the coronavirus pandemic captured hearts worldwide, tested positive for COVID-19.
Moore was treated for pneumonia at home before testing positive for COVID last week, and he was admitted to hospital after struggling to breathe, his daughter Hannah tweeted on Sunday. Moore is being treated at Bedford Hospital, about an hour north of London, but he has so far not needed intensive care, she said.
Moore, who served in World War II and is affectionately known as Captain Tom, received worldwide attention last April for his quest to walk 100 laps in his garden before his 100th birthday to raise money for British national health workers.
Although his original target was £ 1000, Moore eventually raised more than £ 38 million. Using a hiker, he takes his final rounds in a live television event surrounded by a military guard of honor.
At the time, his daughter Hannah said her father took up the challenge of walking 10 laps a day as a way to thank NHS workers for the “incredible care” he received after breaking his hip.
Moore did use a walker to get around, but he said he could reach the 25-meter stretch – that is 82 feet – one step at a time.
“I can get by slowly,” he told the BBC. “As long as people don’t want me to run too fast, I can do it and I will keep driving for 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 established to provide support to people experiencing illness and loneliness during the pandemic.