Greta Thunberg says it’s ‘extremely likely’ she has coronavirus

Activist says her symptoms highlight why it’s essential that young people stay at home

Greta Thunberg announced on Tuesday that it is “extremely likely” she had coronavirus.

In a social media post, the Swedish environmental activist said that although she was unable to get tested and had basically recovered, her mild symptoms highlight why it’s essential that young people, who don’t belong to an at-risk group, stay at home and isolate as “our actions can be the difference between life and death for many others”.

​The 17-year-old posted on Instagram that she had stayed inside and isolated for two weeks following a trip in Central Europe.

She wrote: “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.

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“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 [sic] 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​

On 11 March, the climate activist posted to her 10m followers from Hamburg train station, writing that she had spent three weeks filming in Germany, the UK, Belgium and Switzerland for a BBC documentary.