Talks about what tiers will replace lockdown measures have already begun, but "easing up" is still a long way off, according to the Health Secretary.
Matt Hancock told the latest Downing Street briefing on Monday that ministers had already begun discussions over what would happen when restrictions were lifted.
The Health Secretary told the nation: "We are looking at this question right now and we are looking at the impact that the different tiers had, and we're also looking at where we found transmission happened.
"That is a question that will be driven by the science."
He also said that reaching a decision on when to lift lockdown restrictions was "difficult".
Mr Hancock highlighted that there were 37,000 people in hospital with coronavirus, which he said was "almost twice as many as at the first peak back in April".
He also noted there are "more people on ventilators than at any time in this whole pandemic".
He added: "The pressure on the NHS remains huge and we've got to get that case rate down. Of course I understand the yearning people have to get out of this.
"The thing is that we have to look at the facts on the ground and we have to monitor those facts.
"And of course, everybody wants to have a timeline for that, but I think most people understand why it is difficult to put a timeline on it because it's a matter of monitoring the data, and in fact this is a state-contingent and not a time-contingent question."
Mr Hancock said progress towards vaccinating the top four priority groups by February 15 is "on track".
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He said that 6.6 million had now received a jab, more than 1 in 9 of the adult population, and in the last week 2.5 million got a vaccine, at a rate of more than 250 people per minute.
And, he said, 78.7% of over-80s have received a jab.
Mr Hancock told the Downing Street press conference: "We're on track to offer everyone in the top four priority groups a jab by February 15."
