This is how many schoolchildren in Milton Keynes tested positive for Covid last month

Our figures show break down the figures for tests carried out on December 29 and December 18. They highlight how many cases were schoolchildren and what age group they were in.

On December 18, 405 people of all ages tested positive in MK. Of these, 103 - more than one in four positive cases - were aged under 19.

Ten of the youngsters testing positive tests were aged four and under, while 15 were between five and 9. The biggest group - 34 children - were in the 10 to 14 age group, while 34 were aged between 15 and 19.

The next set of figures was taken 11 days later, on December 29, when 561 people in MK tested positive. By then the proportion of young people had dropped to 18.4 per cent., with 103 under-19s having Covid. This equates to one in six cases.

The biggest group was the 15-19-year-olds, with 44 cases. Next was 10 to 14-year-olds with 34 cases, followed by 15 five to nine year-olds and 10 children aged under four.

Scientists believe the new mutant strain of Covid spreads more easily among schoolchildren and this was one of the reason's behind the government's decision not to allow schools to re-open today in high risk areas such as MK.