More cases of the South African variant are being found in London, a senior figure at Public Health England (PHE) has said.

Professor Kevin Fenton, PHE’s regional director in London, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that more of these infections were being detected via genetic sequencing.

However, he stressed that there was still “a low prevalence, a low number of cases” of the variant.

“And in addition, we’re surging to identify additional cases belonging to the south London cluster, which we’re investigating in Lambeth, Wandsworth and Southwark. So we’re doing this very proactively,” he added.

Cambodia has introduced a lockdown in the capital Phnom Penh and its surrounding district on Thursday amid a Covid-19 outbreak.

The measures were announced on Wednesday evening by Hun Sen, the country’s prime minister.

On his Facebook page, the leader said Cambodia was on the brink of “death valley” and encouraged people to work together to prevent disaster.

In total, there have been fewer than 5,000 coronavirus infections in Cambodia and 35 deaths from the virus.

With less than 100 days to go until the Olympics, a senior Japanese official has said the Games could still be cancelled if the Covid-19 situation worsens.

Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said: “If it seems impossible to do it any more, then we have to stop, decisively.”

He added that cancellation is “of course” an option.

However, the vaccines minister Taro Kono is more optimistic. “We’ll hold (the Games) in a way that’s feasible. That may be without spectators.”

India has identified more than 200,000 new daily coronavirus infections, putting the country’s fragile health care system under increasing strain.

S.K. Sarin, a government health expert, described the surge as “alarming”.

While hotels and wedding venues in the capital are being turned into Covid-19 centres, a 15-day ban on movement was imposed in Maharashtra, the worst-affected state.

As well as the 200,739 cases reported on Thursday, another 1,038 deaths from the virus were announced, bringing the total number of fatalities to 173,123.

A major NHS trust in London is planning to make coronavirus vaccinations compulsory for its staff and other trusts may follow suit, The Independent can reveal.

A draft letter to staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Foundation Trust was emailed to other senior NHS bosses to “adapt and use in your trusts”.

“We will need to take into account your vaccination status in your occupational risk assessment and this may impact the range of duties you undertake and indeed the environment in which you work,” it said.

Our health correspondent Shaun Lintern has the details:

All local case rates across the UK have dropped below 100 cases in 100,000 people for the first time since the start of September.

An analysis of health data carried out by PA shows that the rates were last this low in the week up to 1 September 2020.

While some areas – including Mansfield in Nottinghamshire – are just below 100 cases in 100,000 people, places such as Rother in Essex Sussex and North Devon are close to zero.

The findings are a stark reminder of how much the coronavirus situation in the UK has improved since 10 January, when only 5 of the country’s 380 local authorities had rates below 100.

Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s rolling coronavirus coverage.