Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg said Tuesday it’s “extremely likely” that she contracted the Chinese coronavirus and has “basically recovered” from it.
The 17-year-old said she and father recently exhibited coronavirus-like symptoms and have self-quantified for two weeks following a trip through western Europe.
“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,” Thunberg explained in an Instagram post.
“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.”
Thunberg then stated that she in fact has not undergone testing in Sweden, as tests are reserved for emergency cases.
“Now I’ve basically recovered, but – AND THIS IS THE BOTTOM LINE: I almost didn’t feel ill,” she added. “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.”
Earlier this month, Thunberg urged other climate activists to opt for online protests — instead of large, public demonstrations — to combat the ongoing outbreak.
Sweden has seen over 2,286 coronavirus cases and 36 deaths, according to data via John Hopkins University.