Climate activist Greta Thunberg said on her Instagram account that she probably had COVID-19.
Her social media post comes after an interview yesterday with Reuters where she claimed that coronavirus showed that rapid progress against climate change is possible.
After Thunberg returned from a trip around Central Europe, she was not feeling well. About ten days ago, she started to experience some symptoms as did her father who traveled with her to Brussels. As she could not get tested for coronavirus, she spent ten days in a rented apartment isolated from her mother and sister.
“I was feeling tired, had shivers, a sore throat, and coughed,” wrote the 17-year-old activist, explaining that in Sweden, you cannot get tested for or COVID-19 unless you need emergency medical treatment.
“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,” she stated.
However, Thunberg said she did not feel particularly ill, pointing out that some people might unknowingly transmit the virus. She then warned that people without symptoms might pass the virus on to people in risk groups such as older people.
She, therefore, urged people to be responsible towards others.
“Our actions can be the difference between life and death for many others,” she stated.
In an interview with the Reuters Foundation, Thunberg said there was nothing positive about coronavirus, but used to opportunity to touch on the global warming subject. According to Thunberg, the pandemic “showed that the rapid action needed to curb climate change was also possible.”
In the report, she said it is now clear we can “change our habits and treat a crisis like a crisis”.
Global carbon emissions have seen dramatic decreases around the globe, particularly in countries like China and Italy that have been especially hard hit by the virus.
Title image: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, centre, marches with others during a climate change protest in Brussels, Friday, March 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)
