Wasfia Nazreen tested coronavirus positive in US

Renowned mountaineer and social activist Wasfia Nazreen has tested positive for the coronavirus and is currently in quarantine, she claimed in a Facebook post today. 

"I am now in quarantine (which I was already practicing after I flew into LA) with strict measures and watch over my breathing. I will just have to fight it out. Every day is a struggle," Wasfia said in her post. 

Wasfia -- recognised by National Geographic as one of their Explorers and Adventurers -- rose to fame when she became the first Bangladeshi to complete the Seven Summits in 2015. 

In her post, Wasfia asks people to stay calm, verify news and back them up with science before sharing them. 

"I am extremely concerned about my motherland Bangladesh, where it's hitting the masses about now… and given our population number and the resources available, we need EVERY effort to understand what we are up against. It's going to be a long haul and we need awareness and utmost preparation," she wrote, adding that her "heart is with everyone at home". 

Wasfia flew to Los Angeles, USA, on March 12 and started showing symptoms the next day. As her condition deteriorated, she tried to get medical assistance but was unable to get through before March 17. 

"My brain and entire head were throbbing at a rate I have never experienced. By Monday (16th) night, my lungs were crackling, and at night time, even if I managed to sleep for a brief period, I was shivering… My taste was gone, and I barely had any appetite. I was gasping for breath Monday night… alongside having a runny nose, sore throat, severe headache and cough," Wasfia wrote on her post. 

She also called for people to take lessons away from the outbreak. 

"Mother Nature lashes back against the centuries-long oppression we have been doing on her. We have "developed" in high-rises constantly mutating her and bringing her precious species to extinctions, causing their habitats to utter destructions - its high time human civilization paid the price. The universe is forcing us to pause EVERYTHING because we didn't listen to her many times before."

"May we take this time of social-distancing to look inside ourselves, practice compassion and gratitude towards the interconnectedness of all of us and all beings," she concluded.