A newborn baby reportedly tested positive for COVID-2019, The Sun reported, adding that the mother had been transported to a hospital in London several days earlier with pneumonia-type symptoms.
The woman and her child were reportedly put into separate wards for treatment, the media report said, adding that the infant tested positive for the coronavirus within minutes after birth.
British doctors are reportedly trying to figure out how the baby contracted COVID-19, whether it was infected during the birth or was exposed to the virus in the womb.
"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", a source said, cited by The Sun.
As the number of infected continued its rise, cities and towns across Britain on Friday have become deserted as residents work from home and avoid stores and public transport.
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed 145,000, with over 5,400 fatalities.