Thai newborn babies go viral with tiny coronavirus face shields

Nurses hold newborn babies wearing protective face shields during the coronavirus disease outbreak at the Praram 9 hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. Reuters

A nurse bottle-feeds newborn babies wearing face shields to prevent contact with the COVID-19 disease and coronavirus, at Princ Hospital Suvarnabhumi, in Samut Prakan province, Thailand. EPA

A nurse puts face shields on newborn babies to protect them from the COVID-19 and coronavirus pandemic at Prince Hospital Suvarnabhumi. EPA

A nurse and newborn babies wear face shields to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 and coronavirus pandemic at Princ Hospital Suvarnabhumi. EPA

Nurses hold newborn babies wearing face shields at a maternity ward at Praram 9 Hospital in Bangkok. AFP

Nurses hold newborn babies wearing protective face shields at the Praram 9 hospital. Reuters

The babies, born at Princ Hospital in Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok and Paolo Hospital Samutprakarn, were fitted with the masks to protect them from the coronavirus while relatives of their mothers visited the hospital.

Photographs of the babies in the customised mini face shields shared online went viral, attracting thousands of likes and retweets on Twitter.

Many commented that the photos were cute, but saddening as the world deals with the coronavirus crisis. The virus has killed over 100,000 people and infected over 1.7 million.

The Princ Hospital has also launched free drive-through coronavirus tests for taxi drivers. The drivers must make an appointment online and the hospital will conduct up to 10 tests per day.

Thailand reported 45 new coronavirus infections and two more deaths on Saturday, bringing the total to 2,518 cases and 35 deaths since its outbreak emerged in January.