A newborn baby has tested positive for coronavirus in what is thought to be the youngest case of the disease in the UK, it has emerged.

The child’s mother, who was taken to a north London hospital days before the birth with suspected pneumonia, has also caught the virus.

The mother tested positive at North Middlesex hospital, in Enfield, with results coming through after the birth. The baby was tested for Covid-19 minutes after being born.

The NHS trust confirmed that two patients tested positive for coronavirus, with staff in close contact with them during treatment now being advised to self-isolate.

It is not known whether the child contracted the disease in the womb or was infected during birth. The Sun, which first revealed the case, reported that the baby was still being treated at the hospital but the mother has been transferred to a specialist infections hospital.

In a statement, North Middlesex university hospital NHS trust said: “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.

“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.”

Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, has said previously that pregnant women should not start worrying about coronavirus. The government says there is no clinical evidence so far to indicate that the virus can be transmitted via breast milk.