Mum infected with coronavirus gives birth to baby girl
A mother infected with coronavirus and quarantined in China has given birth to a healthy baby girl.
Remarkable images shared by Chinese state media show midwives head to toe in protective gear as they deliver the child at a hospital in Harbin, located in China’s most northeasterly province of Heilongjiang.
China Global Television Network (CGTN) announced late on Monday the child tested negative for the deadly strain of coronavirus which has so far killed 426 people.
The mother was said to be in a stable condition following the birth.
Medics within the hospital posed for photos with the child before separately isolating the mother and newborn for observations.
There has so far been two deaths in Heilongjiang from coronavirus while there has been 121 confirmed cases. Last week Russia closed its border with the province over fears the virus could spread north.
Footage emerging on social media in recent weeks shows hospitals in Hubei, the epicentre of the coronavirus, pushed to their limits with residents fearing infection cramming into corridors seeking medical attention.
Other videos circulating show medical staff breaking down after relentless, non-stop shifts in the battle against the virus.
Images of a 22-year-old nurse’s badly-cut hands shared by Chinese state owned, English-language outlet China Daily provide an eye-opener into the conditions medical staff are facing.
Online users suggested the cuts had come from her constant changing of protective gloves while the continuous appliance of disinfectant had caused her hands to chap.
In a bid to alleviate the pressure on hospitals, the government ordered the construction of two hospitals within Wuhan to combat the outbreak. On Monday the first of the two hospitals, Huoshenshan Hospital, opened to patients after a mere 10 days of construction.
Health update for Australian evacuees from coronavirus epicentre
More than 200 Australian citizens and residents were taken to Christmas Island overnight after being flown on a Qantas aircraft from Wuhan via remote WA.
None of the Christmas Island arrivals have so far shown any signs of having the deadly virus, but they will spend 14 days in quarantine to ensure they pose no health risk.
A team of specialist doctors and nurses are closely monitoring the 243 Australian evacuees.
They endured about 24 hours in transit, including a stop at Western Australia's RAAF Base Learmonth, near Exmouth, before being taken on smaller aircraft to the island.
The National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre is overseeing their care, and says medics on the island have reported all of the evacuees are well.
"They haven't shown signs of the virus, and all going well, God willing, they won't be showing signs of it and will in 14 days repatriate back home to their nation, Australia," the centre's executive director Len Notaras told ABC radio on Tuesday.
Professor Notaras said the evacuees were being kept in discreet clusters of family members, or friendship groups.
That will allow medics to effectively manage any emergency on the virus and guard against any widespread transmission among the evacuees.
With AAP
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