Second World War hero, 98, from Bolton beats coronavirus

In some good news in the fight against coronavirus, a Second World War hero from Bolton has beaten the illness.

The 98-year-old great granddad has recovered from the virus after he tested positive last week – he initially went in to hospital with a water infection, the Bolton News reports.

Jack Bowden is set to celebrate his 99th birthday in May, and after being taken to hospital where he tested positive for COVID-19 he’s now returned to his nursing home, as his condition vastly improved.

Mark Bowden, Jack’s youngest son, told the Bolton News: “The doctor spoke to me and had concerns that he was getting confused. He was admitted to hospital and was treated for a suspected urine infection, they felt he improved a lot over the week.

“The doctors told me that they had tested him for COVID-19. On the Wednesday when my brother rang me to say that his test result was positive, I couldn’t believe it.

“I spoke to my father on the phone and he said: ‘I think I’ve actually got the real thing’. He was moved to an isolation ward on Thursday.

“By the Friday they rang me to say that they were discharging him, they said he had a healthy appetite and he was doing really well.

“I spoke to the him on Monday morning, and he was sat up in his chair, doing really well. The consultant even wants to use him as a case study.”

The Bolton News

During World War II Jack, a former pharmacist, worked at the Royal Navy Medical School, producing vital supplies of Penicillin.

According to Jack’s granddaughter Nicola, he’s in good spirits, even complaining about having to stay in bed.

Jack’s daughter Joanne thinks that the water infection medication helped him recover, telling the Bolton News: “His medication has been shown to have anti-viral properties. I believe that’s why he recovered so quickly.

“For somebody of his age to go into hospital on the Monday and come out again the same week is remarkable. And now doctor’s have approached him to be a case study. So he was a trailblazer back in WWII and he’s clearly a trailblazer now.”

Well done Jack, keep on fighting!