No known cure so far for corona infection: WHO
2 infants found virus-infected
◗ With additional 4,000 cases and 65 deaths reported on Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide climbed to almost 24,300 and the death toll to 490
Beijing, Feb. 5: Two newborn babies tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday after their mothers were infected, sparking fear that the infection can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or immediately after.
One of the mothers in Wuhan, China, whose baby has been diagnosed with novel coronavirus just 30 hours after being born, had tested positive for the virus before she gave birth.
The other, a six-monthold, is the child of an infected couple in Singapore.
With additional 4,000 cases and 65 deaths reported on Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide climbed to almost 24,300 and the death toll to 490.
Playing down media reports of a drug breakthrough against the coronavirus outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday that there are “no known” drug treatments against the virus.
“There are no known effective therapeutics against this 2019-nCoV and WHO recommends enrollment into a randomized controlled trial to test efficacy and safety,” WHO said in a statement on Wednesday.
The virus, believed to have emerged in December in a Wuhan market that sold wild animals, spread rapidly as
■ Continued from Page 1 people travelled for the Lunar New Year holiday in January.
Despite aggressive steps to limit the movement for millions of people who live in cities near the center of the outbreak, the virus isn’t yet under control.
In its battle to prevent the spread of a coronavirus outbreak, Hong Kong announced Wednesday that it will impose a mandatory 14day quarantine on all visitors from mainland China.
The policy comes into effect on Saturday but officials refused to close the border entirely, as demanded by medical staff who have gone on strike.
Hong Kong, which has 21 confirmed cases and one fatality, suffered 300 deaths in the Sars outbreak in 2002-03.
The virus has spread overseas, with some 25 nations confirming cases.
The WHO has declared the outbreak a global health emergency. Its chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Wednesday appealed for $675m to fund a threemonth response plan.