A newborn baby is claimed to have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, becoming what is thought to be the world’s youngest victim.

The baby born in England is reportedly being treated at a hospital in London.

The child’s mother had been rushed to a hospital in the capital days earlier with suspected pneumonia, reports the Sun.

The mum was tested at North Middlesex Hospital but her positive result is said to have only emerged after she gave birth.

The baby was tested minutes after arrival and the pair are now being treated at different hospitals, according to the newspaper.

Health professionals are reportedly now trying to work out whether the infant was infected during birth or whether it was possible the infection was transmitted in the mother’s womb.

A source told the Sun: “Staff in contact with both patients have been advised to self-isolate. Health officials are urgently trying to find out the circumstances behind their infections.”

The latest case comes as the UK’s coronavirus death toll grew to 11 today.

Earlier, the UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said 60% of the British population must contract coronavirus to successfully fight the bug which has now killed more than 5,000 people worldwide.

Following yesterday’s briefing from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, unwell people are being advised to self-isolate at home for seven days if they have a cough or any symptoms of coronavirus.

Anyone who has been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus must still self-isolate for 14 days.

The latest measures order people who have even a mild cough or temperature to isolate for a self-week.

The extraordinary killer bug sweeping the globe is sending countries racing to contain its spread as some impose some of the strictest controls on their populations seen in peacetime.

Italy is under a strict lockdown, and countries including Spain and the United States are imposing travel restrictions and quarantine periods, while Ireland has closed schools.

Britain has officially entered its ‘delay’ phase of the coronavirus response, is the outbreak is declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

In a chilling statement yesterday, Johnson  warned many more families should brace to lose loved ones.

The PM said many Brits are likely to die “before their time” during the coronavirus crisis.

He added: “We’ve all got to be clear, this is the worst public health crisis for a generation.

“Some people compare it to seasonal flu, alas that is not right.

“Due to the lack of immunity this disease is more dangerous.”

The Government’s top scientist has warned that up to 10,000 people in the UK may already be infected