‘We don’t do apart’: Elderly couple who fought coronavirus together in hospital heap praise on NHS staff

‘We’ve never been apart for sixty plus years, we don’t do apart,’ says Sidney Moore

(St Helen's and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust)

An elderly couple who fought Covid-19 together in hospital has heaped praise on NHS staff after recovering from the infection.

Sidney and Jean Moore, both in their 70s, say they feared the worst when they were both diagnosed with the infection earlier this month.

The couple, who have been together for more than six decades, were admitted to Whiston Hospital in Merseyside for treatment but have since been discharged.

Mr Moore says he and his wife chose to battle the disease together and were treated in the same ward in hospital.

Describing their ordeal, Mr Moore told St Helen’s Star: “It was our wish to face this together and they made sure we could.

“Jean is hard of hearing so it helped because then we both could understand what was going on and it stopped me worrying about her.

“We’ve never been apart for sixty plus years, we don’t do apart.”

The couple is now recovering at home in Newton-Le-Willows and thanked NHS staff for their “magnificent” care.

“I haven’t got the words to describe the staff. Brilliant. Informative. Considerate. The doctors and consultants were great,” Mr Moore added.

“How you’ve got the courage to walk into that place every day, knowing what’s in there, we’ll never know You’re quite simply magnificent.”

Health secretary Matt Hancock has announced that human trials of a potential coronavirus vaccine are to begin this week.

Speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference on Tuesday, Mr Hancock said the government was “throwing everything” at the search for a vaccine.

He also announced that the government is to provide £20 million to the Oxford team to help fund its clinical trials, with a further £22.5 million going to researchers at Imperial College London.