Last checked at 
(Writes through with variants, results)
By Kate Holton and Alistair Smout
LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Britain has started to drive down
cases of the more infectious South African variant of
coronavirus and will only emerge from lockdown in stages to make
sure that does not change, the country's health secretary said
on Sunday.
A day before Prime Minister Boris Johnson sets out his plan
to ease restrictions in England, Hancock said there was also
early data showing that the faster-than-expected vaccine rollout
was reducing transmissions and easing pressure on hospitals.
Britain has the world's fifth-worst official COVID-19 death
toll, with 120,365 fatalities, but an early drive to secure mass
vaccine supplies means one in three adults has now had a first
shot and daily death rates have started to fall.
Hancock said in total the United Kingdom had recorded around
300 cases of the more infectious South African variant of the
disease that causes COVID-19.
"But most of those are now historic cases and from over a
month ago," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr show. "The latest data
shows that there's around a dozen new ones, so a much, much
smaller number."
England has also introduced hotel quarantines to prevent
variants from travelling from abroad.
So far, Britain has given a first dose of a vaccine to 17.2
million people, over a quarter of its 67 million population and
behind only Israel and the United Arab Emirates in vaccines per
head of population.
The government said on Sunday that all adults in Britain
would be offered a first shot by the end of July, with a target
to give a first dose to all over-50s by April 15.
But despite the improving picture, Hancock and leading
epidemiologist John Edmunds said the restrictions must be eased
gently and in stages, to see what impact the increased movement
of people has on the virus.
Hancock suggested each easing could require a couple of
weeks to detect the impact, before another part of the economy
can reopen. Schools are expected to return first in early March.
Edmunds said it was difficult to say how widespread the
South African variant was but that, like the rest of the
pandemic, it was being held in place by the lockdown.
"The risk comes when we release the lockdown," he said,
adding that allowing the virus to circulate in younger healthier
people could lead to further mutations that undermine the
vaccine programme.
Johnson will set out his thinking on the easing of lockdown
on Monday. Despite pressure from a section of lawmakers in his
party who have been shocked by the 10% contraction of the
economy in 2020, the prime minister is expected to be wary.
"There should be no doubt - the route out of lockdown will
be cautious and phased, as we all continue to protect ourselves
and those around us," Johnson said in a statement.
(
Editing by Ros Russell and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
