A baby in China's epidemic-hit Wuhan city has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus just 30 hours after being born, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday.

The infant is the youngest person recorded as being infected by the virus, which has killed nearly 500 people since emerging late last year.

CCTV quoted experts saying it may be a case of "vertical transmission", referring to infections passed from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or immediately after.

The mother had tested positive for the virus before she gave birth.

However, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday that in another occurrence, a baby born the previous week to an infected mother had tested negative. 

Mothers and babies amongst those who were brought to Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak. (Sony Ramany/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

China's national health commission said on Tuesday that the oldest person diagnosed with the virus is a 90-year-old, and that 80% of reported deaths have been of patients 60 years of age and older.

A screenshot of coronavirus cases across the world. (Traveller24)

Be that as it may, the World Health Organisation has yet to declare the virus a pandemic due to it being vastly contained in China.

A recent incident was a death from Japan, which is believed to have been from a patient who travelled via Hong-Kong.