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Greta Thurnberg met Malala Yousafzai 0:49
(CNN) - Swedish activist Greta Thunberg is urging the world to listen to scientists as she describes the devastating impact that the coronavirus pandemic is having worldwide.
"During any crisis, it is always the most vulnerable people who are most affected, and it is the children," said the teenage environmentalist.
"Especially in the South of the world, people in the poorest parts of the world, especially people living in conflict zones and refugee camps," he added.
Appearing in a CNN-hosted coronavirus forum, featuring Anderson Cooper and CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Thunberg addressed misinformation about the disease, including how the covid was originally believed to- 19 affected only older people.
"Yes, this affects older people a lot, but we must also remember that this is also a crisis of children's rights," he warned, "because children are the most vulnerable in societies."
"Children get the virus and also pass it on."
As a role model for many young people around the world, Thunberg, 17, cut himself off from his family earlier this year after believing he had contracted the virus, although he has never been tested.
She explained that in her home country, Sweden, "they don't test you unless you need medical help."
Thunberg isolated himself anyway because, he said, it was "the right thing."
View this post on Instagram
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 8:22 am PDT
Despite having what she describes as mild symptoms, she posted about her experience on social media to raise awareness of the virus and the appropriate steps to take.
"Many people don't even realize they have symptoms and then they can transmit the virus without even knowing it," he said.
READ : Laboratory tests in Iceland suggest that 50% of coronavirus cases are asymptomatic
"So we have to be very careful, because our actions can be the difference between life and death for many others."
Thunberg is best known for her environmental activism, leading climate strikes worldwide, strikes that are now going online.
On World Earth Day, on April 22, Human Act, a Danish world development organization, awarded him a prize of $ 100,000 for his climate activism. He later donated that money to the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), launching a campaign specifically aimed at safeguarding the rights and well-being of children during the coronavirus pandemic.
The money will be used by Unicef's coronavirus emergency programs to provide supplies such as soap, face masks, hygiene kits and gloves, he explained.
"We are talking about washing our hands and staying at home, but many people in the world do not have access to clean water or sanitation, or soap," he said.
"They may not even have a house to stay."
"That is why we need to help people who are most vulnerable to this crisis in ways that we might not think about in the global North," he added.
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Despite sounding the alarm about the virus, Thunberg said he sees a silver lining in all of this.
"People are beginning to realize that we really depend on science and that we need to listen to scientists and experts."
"And I really hope that stays," he said, adding that he hopes it will apply to other crises "like the climate crisis and the environmental crisis."
I am not an expert. I am an activist. The only people claiming that I'm an “expert” are those who are trying to ridicule me. My message has always been to unite behind the science and listen to the experts. 2/2
- Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) May 14, 2020
Thunberg's appearance on the CNN coronavirus forum drew criticism from some, who accused her of not being an expert on the virus. However, the teenager herself clarified on Twitter that she never appeared as an expert nor is she.
Rather, she is an activist with many followers and is trying to clarify the impact this virus will have on future generations.
Greta Thunberg
