The newborn baby was also diagnosed after the birth of the infected pregnant woman, making it the first case of vertical transmission from mother to child in Japan.

The outbreak of Wuhan pneumonia (novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19) in Japan is still ongoing, and a survey by The Japanese Society of Pediatrics has revealed that a pregnant woman who gave birth to a newborn last year also tested positive for PCR, suspected to be a vertical transmission between mother and child.

According to the Japanese newspaper NHK, the survey was conducted by Professor Ichiro Morioka, head of the Department of Pediatrics at Nihon University School of Medicine, and the Japanese Society of Pediatrics for medical institutions with pediatric departments throughout Japan.

The results of the investigation point out that foreign studies have shown that the chance of vertical transmission of the new coronavirus through the mother and child is not high, but this confirmed newborn in Japan is suspected to be vertically transmitted from mother to child, which is the first case of this kind in Japan, and the newborn itself does not have health problems.

The case also represents that vertical transmission from mother to child is not completely impossible in Japan, so pregnant women must pay close attention to all preventive measures during pregnancy.