British pound slumps against dollar intraday Monday as U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to ICU with coronavirus

The British Pound Monday afternoon swung lower against the U.S. dollar after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to the intensive care unit. The U.K. prime minister has been stricken with intensifying symptoms from COVID-19 for more than a week and was hospitalized on Sunday as a precaution to St Thomas' Hospital in London. However, his condition has worsened, according to reports. "Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the prime minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the intensive care unit at the hospital," read a statement from 10 Downing. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will serve as a replacement for Johnson "where necessary," read the statement. The British pound was down 0.2% against the U.S. dollar Monday afternoon, changing hands at $1.2242, but had been at around $1.23 before the report of Johnson's move. An exchange traded fund that tracks the U.K. equity market was still in the green. The iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF was up 4.1%. The FTSE 100, meanwhile, finished Monday trade in London up 3.1% at 5,582.39.

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