Baby Born in Wuhan is Diagnosed With Coronavirus

Doctors at Wuhan Children's Hospital in China reported on Wednesday that the coronavirus 2019-nCoV can be transmitted from a mother to her baby during pregnancy.

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The specialists reached this conclusion after an infected patient gave birth on February 2 and, 30 hours later, her baby was confirmed to be carrying the virus.

This is the first case of infection due to pregnancy. On February 3, another woman was admitted to the hospital in her 37th week of pregnancy on suspicion of being infected with the coronavirus, a disease whose mortality rate and transmission routes are yet unknown.

The woman had to undergo a caesarean section, as she could not receive the required treatment because she was pregnant. The newborn was sent home after the laboratory tests for coronavirus were negative.

Meanwhile, a newly built hospital in Wuhan, the epicentre of China's new coronavirus outbreak - that has claimed so far the lives of 479 people - began treating patients infected with the virus on Tuesday.

The first group of patients were being transferred to Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) hospital, which was finished last Sunday after being built in ten days.

Huoshenshan is one of two temporary hospitals dedicated to the treatment of patients infected with the virus; but, Wuhan authorities plans to convert eight other existing spaces, including gyms, exhibition centers and sports centers, into hospitals.

Chinese President Xi Jinping today called for increased legislative, police, judicial and law enforcement efforts in the country in order to strengthen the capacity to deal with the epidemic.