A newborn baby has reportedly become the world's youngest person to test positive for the novel coronavirus.

The baby's mother was rushed to hospital in London with suspected pneumonia a few days ago, unaware that she had the virus, the Sun reported.

Whether the baby contracted the virus in the womb or during labor is unknown.

Mother and baby are currently being treated in separate units.

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A newborn baby has reportedly become the youngest person in the world to test positive for the novel coronavirus.


The baby's mother was rushed to hospital in London with suspected pneumonia a few days ago, the Sun reported. Once it was ascertained that both mother and baby had coronavirus, they were placed in separate hospitals overnight to receive treatment.

The mother, who did not know she had coronavirus until after giving birth, was tested at North Middlesex Hospital, Enfield, according to the Sun.


The baby was tested within minutes of being born at the hospital, and is still receiving treatment there.

The mother, meanwhile, has reportedly been transferred to a specialist infections hospital.


Hospital staff who came into contact with the mother and newborn have been instructed to self-isolate.It's unknown whether the baby contracted the virus in the womb or during the labour.

"Two patients at North Middlesex University hospital have tested positive for coronavirus. One has been transferred to a specialist centre and one is being treated in an isolation room," North Middlesex University Hospital NHS trust said in a statement.

"The safety of our patients and staff is our top priority, so in following guidance from Public Health England, we are regularly deep cleaning the areas where the patients are cared for and staff who were in close contact with these patients were advised to self-isolate."


Scientists are racing to calculate a crucial measure of the coronavirus' spread. It suggests the virus may be far more contagious than the flu.

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