Greta Thunberg says she 'likely' had Covid-19 infection; urges young people to stay home

WION Web Team

New Delhi, Delhi, IndiaUpdated: Mar 25, 2020, 02:18 PM IST

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Youth climate activist Greta Thunberg posted on her Instagram account Tuesday that she is quite certain she's recovering from a mild bout of COVID-19.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg said that she likely contracted the coronavirus

The teen climate activist said that she had recovered after isolating herself for the last two weeks.

Despite having symptoms, the 17-year-old said she was not tested for Covid-19.

Also read: Has the original epicentre of coronavirus - Wuhan really recovered?

Thunberg urged her followers to heed warnings by health officials to stay at home to slow the spread of the virus, especially in high-risk groups.

Also read: 'Cure can't be worse than problem', announces Trump as he vows to reopen US economy amid COVID-19 crisis

"Around ten days ago I started feeling some symptoms... I was feeling tired, had shivers, a sore throat and coughed," she said in the post.

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The last two weeks I’ve stayed inside. When I returned from my trip around Central Europe I isolated myself (in a borrowed apartment away from my mother and sister) since the number of cases of COVID-19 (in Germany for instance) were 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. Now I’ve basically recovered, but - AND THIS IS THE BOTTOM LINE: I almost didn’t feel ill. My last cold was much worse than this! Had it not been for someone else having the virus simultainously I might not even have suspected anything. Then I would just have thought I was feeling unusually tired with a bit of a cough. And this it what makes it so much more dangerous. 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 #StayAtHome to slow the spread of the virus. And remember to always take care of each other and help those in need. #COVID #flattenthecurve
A post shared by Greta Thunberg (@gretathunberg) on Mar 24, 2020 at 8:22am PDT

In early March, Thunberg, who spearheaded the "school strike for climate" movement, called for a digital protest so as to avoid large gatherings that could exacerbate the spread of the new coronavirus.

She had invited activists to post photos of themselves with the word #ClimateStrikeOnline every Friday instead of attending demonstrations in the streets.

(With inputs from agencies)