BEIJING — A baby born last Saturday in Wuhan and confirmed positive just 36 hours after birth became the youngest known person infected with the coronavirus, authorities said.

But precisely how the child became infected was unclear.

“The baby was immediately separated from the mother after the birth and has been under artificial feeding. There was no close contact with the parents, yet it was diagnosed with the disease,” Zeng Lingkong, director of neonatal diseases at Wuhan Children’s Hospital, told Chinese TV.

Zeng said other infected mothers have given birth to babies who tested negative, so it is not yet known if the virus can be transmitted in the womb.

China finished building a second new hospital Thursday to isolate and treat patients – a 1,500-bed center in Wuhan. Earlier this week, another rapidly constructed, 1,000-bed hospital in Wuhan with prefabricated wards and isolation rooms began taking patients.

The number of people infected globally has risen to more than 31,000.

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