International press react as Captain Sir Tom Moore battles coronavirus in hospital 

Captain Sir Tom Moore has been hailed a ‘hero of the British’ by the international press as news of his hospitalisation for coronavirus spread around the world.

Family members confirmed last night that the 100-year-old WWII veteran had suffered with pneumonia over the ‘past few weeks’ before also testing positive for Covid-19 a week ago.

He was taken to Bedford Hospital in Bedfordshire yesterday after requiring ‘help with his breathing’, but is not currently in intensive care.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson last night led tributes to Captain Tom, who became a national treasure during the first coronavirus lockdown after he raised more than £32 million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday.

Captain Sir Tom Moore has been hailed a ‘hero of the British’ by the international press as news of his hospitalisation for coronavirus spread around the world

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As morning broke in Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald hailed the centenarian as ‘Britain’s pandemic hero’

The Australian opted for ‘lockdown hero’, referring to the light relief Sir Tom gave the nation while we were still staying firmly at home

Revealing he had spoken to his, the PM said: ‘All I can say is Captain Tom Moore has been an inspiration to everybody in this country during this pandemic and I think our thoughts and our prayers are now with him and with his family.’

Having been internationally recognised for his fundraising efforts for the NHS over the summer, newspapers from across the world quickly began to report the news and pay tribute to Sir Tom.

As morning broke in Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald hailed the centenarian as ‘Britain’s pandemic hero’, while The Australian opted for ‘lockdown hero’, referring to the light relief Sir Tom gave the nation while we were still staying firmly at home.

Family members confirmed last night that the 100-year-old WWII veteran had suffered with pneumonia over the ‘past few weeks’ before also testing positive for Covid-19 a week ago

Singapore’s Straits Times shared Boris Johnson’s sentiment of well wishes with the headline ‘Pray for Tom’

The paper added how Sir Tom ‘won British hearts with a COVID-19 fundraising drive’ before ‘becoming the oldest man to top the British music charts with a cover of You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

Singapore’s Straits Times shared Boris Johnson’s sentiment of well wishes with the headline ‘Pray for Tom’, as did the Cyprus Mail in their tribute to the ‘Covid fundraiser’.

In a battle for the most superlative headline, Le Telgramme in France knocked out its competition by choosing to label Sir Tom the ‘hero of the British’. 

Dutch TV news service RTL Nieuws went with a more subtle: ‘Beloved British war veteran hit by corona’

Germany’s Die Zeit used ‘Sick of Covid-19: British worry about Captain Tom’, which while describing Sir Tom’s condition, could also refer to the country tiring of the deadly virus impacting some of our best loved public figures

Sir Tom was even made an item on CBS News’ weekend TV coverage of the pandemic on Sunday night

Dutch TV news service RTL Nieuws went with a more subtle: ‘Beloved British war veteran hit by corona’.

Germany’s Die Zeit used ‘Sick of Covid-19: British worry about Captain Tom’, which while describing Sir Tom’s condition, could also refer to the country tiring of the deadly virus impacting some of our best loved public figures.

Speigel, an offshoot of the German news magazine, Der Spiegel, referred to Sir Tom as a ‘donation collector’. 

Sir Tom was even made an item on CBS News’ weekend TV coverage of the pandemic on Sunday night, with the presenter saying: ‘We join the British in wishing him well’.

Every major US website offered coverage of his illness, with the New York Times devoting a long feature to his achievements in the Army and a recap on a whirlwind year of events following his unexpected rise to stardom.