20,338 people have been tested in the UK, of which 20,175 were confirmed negative and 163 were confirmed as positive according to the latest figures released by the Government this lunchtime.
Three more cases have been identified in Greater Manchester in Wigan, Trafford and Stockport
The news comes as the government has promised £46m to fund urgent work to find a coronavirus vaccine and develop a rapid test for the disease.This will include work on eight possible vaccines which are already in development as well as further research, the government said.
The funding will also support a lab in Bedford to develop a test that could provide results within 20 minutes, however a test could still be six months away.
Boris Johnson visited Mologic lab in Bedfordshire which is using UK aid funding to develop rapid diagnostic test devices for coronavirus to allow medical professionals or potentially even individuals at home to identify the disease quickly without relying on specialist facilities.
This will mean patients can be treated more quickly, reducing the risk of them passing the virus onto others and helping them to recover quickly. The lab is building on extensive experience creating similar tests for other infections.
