Via – The Guardian UK

The death toll from coronavirus is approaching 500, it was confirmed on Wednesday, as Chinese media reported that a baby had been diagnosed with the virus just 30 hours after birth, the youngest case recorded so far.

More than 24,500 people have now been infected globally, including the baby born in Wuhan, the center of the outbreak. The baby’s mother had tested positive for the virus before she gave birth, according to the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

Facing growing pressure from striking health workers, Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of the virus. From Saturday, all people entering from the mainland, including Hong Kong residents, will be required to undergo 14 days of quarantine, she said. Thousands of doctors and nurses have gone on strike demanding that the border with the mainland be completely shut.

On Wednesday, it was confirmed that 10 people on board a cruise ship in Japan had also tested positive, prompting authorities to instruct all passengers to remain inside their cabins. Thousands of people on the Diamond Princess face spending the next fortnight stuck off the Japanese port of Yokohama, as officials attempt to prevent further infection.

The ship had been prevented from sailing on Monday after an 80-year-old passenger who had travelled on the vessel late last month was found to have the virus after he arrived home in Hong Kong.

Of a further 273 people on board who have since been tested, 31 results had come back and of those 10 were positive, Japan’s health minister, Katsunobu Kato, said on Wednesday. It is not clear whether more tests would be carried out. None of the 10 infected people – three each from Japan and Hong Kong, two Australians, one American and one Filipino crew member – had severe symptoms, public broadcaster NHK said.

Separately, health checks began on 1,800 passengers and crew on a second cruise ship docked in Hong Kong, after 30 staff members reported symptoms including fever, according to Reuters.

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