Greta Thunberg fears she had coronavirus and has been self-isolating with shivers and sore throat for two weeks
ECO-WARRIOR Greta Thunberg fears she and her dad had coronavirus and has revealed they self-isolated for two weeks.
The 17-year-old climate change campaigner said they experienced some symptoms of covid-19 after a recent train tour of Europe.
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Along with her dad, Swedish actor Svante Thunberg, she was travelling before restrictions were imposed in the countries they travelled to.
But she stressed neither of them have been tested for the virus because Sweden is only testing people with the most severe symptoms and at-risk groups.
News of her possible infection comes as the COVID-19 has so far afflicted nearly 400,000 people globally, with more than 17,000 deaths.
In an Instagram post, Greta said: "The last two weeks I’ve stayed inside.
"When I returned from my trip around Central Europe I isolated myself since the number of cases of Covid-19 — in Germany for instance —nwere similar to Italy in the beginning.
"Around ten days ago I started feeling some symptoms, exactly the same time as my father — who traveled with me from Brussels.
"I was feeling tired, had shivers, a sore throat and coughed.
"My dad experienced the same symptoms, but much more intense and with a fever. In Sweden you can not test yourself for Covid-19 unless you’re in need of emergent medical treatment.
"Everyone feeling ill are told to stay at home and isolate themselves. I have therefore not been tested for COVID-19, but it’s extremely likely that I’ve had it, given the combined symptoms and circumstances."
I was feeling tired, had shivers, a sore throat and coughed
Greta Thunberg
For now she said she had recovered but wanted to warn the younger generation against ignoring warnings about the virus.
She said: "Many (especially young people) might not notice any symptoms at all, or very mild symptoms.
"Then they don’t know they have the virus and can pass it on to people in risk groups.
"We who don’t belong to a risk group have an enormous responsibility, our actions can be the difference between life and death for many others.
"Please keep that in mind, follow the advice from experts and your local authorities and stay at home to slow the spread of the virus.
"And remember to always take care of each other and help those in need."
'VIRUS FIGHT SHOWS URGENT CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION POSSIBLE'
Greta also said the swift and far-ranging economic and social shifts being brought in to stem the coronavirus pandemic showed rapid action needed to curb climate change was possible.
Officials around the world have responded to the growing coronavirus outbreak by shutting businesses, closing schools and other facilities, banning gatherings and travel.
Large-scale financial bailouts have also been proposed to keep slowing economies afloat.
"The coronavirus is a terrible event ... there is no positive to come out of it," the Swedish teenager told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an online interview.
"But it also shows one thing: That once we are in a crisis, we can act to do something quickly, act fast," said Thunberg, 17, whose solo school strikes for climate action helped spark a global youth climate strike movement.
"Though it must be in a different way to how we have acted in this case, we can act fast and change our habits and treat a crisis like a crisis."
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The youth climate strike movement that Thunberg inspired drew millions onto the streets around the world in 2019.
This year, however, faced with the emerging pandemic, young Fridays for Future climate activists have taken their weekly actions digital, using the Twitter hashtag #ClimateStrikeOnline.
Thunberg urged young climate activists, many now stuck at home as schools close, to help others through the COVID-19 epidemic and to keep up their activism in safe ways.
"First of all, right now, we need to help in any way we can and back up society and people in need," she said.
In figuring out how to deal with climate change, "what we are telling everyone to do is to listen to the experts and listen to the science, and that's what we need to do in this case as well", she said.
The virus crisis "doesn't mean we need to let go completely of activism," she added. "We can do it online and at home. We just need to be creative and find new ways."
More to follow...
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