Chinese state media has reported that a baby whose mother had been infected with coronavirus, has also tested positive for the virus just 30 hours after his birth.
What This Means
Medical experts are citing the case as evidence that coronavirus can transfer from a pregnant mother to the foetus.
This is the youngest confirmed case of coronavirus so far. It has been reported from Wuhan, the epicenter of the Coronavirus outbreak.
What We Know So Far
Chen, the baby boy's mother, was sent to the fever clinic of a Wuhan hospital after her fever had persisted for eight hours, reports China's National Health Commission.
She was given a C-section after doctors suspected she could be a carrier of coronavirus. The baby boy was born at 8 AM on Sunday weighing 3.25 kilograms, showing no visible symptoms or having any difficulty breathing.
However, 30 hours after he was born, and soon after his mother's infection was confirmed, the baby's diagnosis was also confirmed, and he was transferred to Wuhan Children's Hospital, the designated hospital for infected children.
The boy, who is in stable condition, is being hospitalized in a special zone and has no fever or coughs, but is exhibiting symptoms including rapid breathing, lung infection and abnormal liver function.
563 deaths and 28,018 confirmed cases on the mainland. In addition, Hong Kong has had 21 cases, including one death. Macao has had 10 cases. Most of the deaths have been in central Hubei province, where illnesses from the new type of coronavirus were first detected in December. A death also occurred in the Philippines.
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