Coronavirus update UK: 15,650 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed on Friday

There were 15,650 new confirmed coronavirus infections in the UK as of Friday morning, the UK government data showed, per Reuters. This reading followed Thursday's increase of 18,980.

Further details of the report revealed that there were 136 fatalities within 28 days of testing positive, compared to 138 on Thursday.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted that, according to present trends, there will be more patients in intensive care than at the peak of the first wave. "If agreement cannot be reached, I will need to intervene in order to protect Manchester's hospitals and save the lives of Manchester's residents. But our efforts will be so much more effective if we work together," Johnson said added.

Market reaction

The GBP/USD pair largely ignored these developments and was last seen posting small daily gains at 1.2920.