LONDON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Monday that surge testing has been put in place in parts of England after six cases of the coronavirus variant first found in Brazil have been identified in Britain.

"We're putting in place surge testing in South Gloucestershire as a precaution. And I urge everyone to remain vigilant," said Hancock at a virtual press briefing at Downing Street.

Hancock said the six cases include three in Scotland and three in England. Five of them have been identified while officials are still seeking a missing person in England who has been infected with this variant of concern but did not complete the registration form properly.

"We know that five of these people quarantined at home as they were legally required to do. We've been in contact with them and their families and we're grateful to them for understanding the seriousness of the situation."

"One of the six completed a test but did not successfully complete contact details," he added.

Hancock said even though data showed the number of new cases is falling, but the rate of decline has slowed.

He urged the public to stick to the rules. "This shows how we all need to keep sticking to the rules. Let's not blow it now," he said

Another 5,455 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,182,009, according to official figures released Monday.

The country also reported another 104 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 122,953. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

The latest figures were revealed as more than 20.2 million people in Britain have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since outbreak of the pandemic in the country. Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.