The child from Batangas is believed to have become the world's youngest coronavirus victim



A 29-day-old infant is believed to have become the world's youngest known victim of coronavirus after he contracted pneumonia in the Philippines.

Health minister Maria Rosario Vergeire confirmed on Tuesday that the boy had difficulty breathing and was rushed to hospital where he tested positive for COVID-19.

© Provided by Daily Mail A health worker moves an oxygen tank at the Santa Ana Hospital in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday. The Philippines has 5,453 cases, the highest in Southeast Asia, and 349 deaths

The child from Batangas died of late-onset sepsis - a blood infection occurring in infants younger than 90 days old - due to the respiratory infection.

The newborn is believed to be the youngest victim ever after a six-week-old baby died on March 26 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA.

On April 6, a one-day-old newborn died in Louisiana after her mother contracted COVID-19 and went into premature labour. However, the deceased baby did not test positive for the disease.

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The Philippines has 5,453 cases, the highest in Southeast Asia, and 349 deaths.

It was among the first countries in the region to impose drastic lockdown measures at an early stage, ordering half the population (90 million) into quarantine just five days after the first domestic transmission of the virus was detected on March 7.

Philippine Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said this week the decisive action is thought to have prevented between 1.9 and 8.3 million coronavirus infections.

© Provided by Daily Mail Police officers wearing protective suits fetch a resident suspected of having COVID-19 from his home in a Manila slum on Wednesday

The government has been criticised for being too slow with testing but has quickly gained ground since the start of April due to increases in test kits and laboratory capacity.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday approved the procurement of an additional 900,000 kits, on top of 100,000 now in use.

The number of people tested stood at 33,814 as of April 12, a tenfold increase from March 29, although still far short of the 110,000 in Vietnam, which has 265 coronavirus cases and no reported deaths.

Stay at home to stop coronavirus spreading - here is what you can and can't do. If you think you have the virus, don't go to the GP or hospital, stay indoors and get advice online. Only call NHS 111 if you cannot cope with your symptoms at home; your condition gets worse; or your symptoms do not get better after seven days. In parts of Wales where 111 isn't available, call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47. In Scotland, anyone with symptoms is advised to self-isolate for seven days. In Northern Ireland, call your GP.



