LONDON (AA) – A new-born baby tested positive for coronavirus in what is believed to be the youngest case in the U.K., according to a hospital statement.
The mother was taken to the London hospital with symptoms of pneumonia. Both the mother and child tested positive for the virus.
It is unclear if the baby caught the virus in the womb or during birth.
The hospital said in a statement: “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.”
As of Saturday, the BBC reported that there were a total of 820 confirmed cases in the U.K., with 21 deaths.
The government said on Friday that the likely number of actual cases was between 5,000 and 10,000.
After emerging in China last December, the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to over 120 countries and territories.
The global death toll from the virus has crossed 5,300 with more than 142,000 cases confirmed worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, which has termed Europe as the new epicenter of the virus.
A vast majority of those who get infected recover from the illness.
