Almost one in seven young children in the east of England are likely to have had Covid-19 during the second half of January.

The East of England, along with North West England, the West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber were the regions where the most children were infected, according to new estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Other regions were nearer one in eight, while south-west England was one in nine.

The figures reflect the surge in infections among younger age groups in recent weeks – in particular the sharp jump in the prevalence of the virus following the return of pupils to school after the Christmas holiday.

An estimated 13.4pc of two to 11-year-olds in the east of England are likely to have tested positive between January 16 and 29, according to the estimates.

Across England as a whole, 12.9pc – around one in eight – of two to 11-year-olds were likely to have had Covid-19 in the second half of last month.

This is the highest level for any age group in England since the ONS began its series of fortnightly estimates in May 2020.

The ONS infection survey is the most reliable snapshot of the prevalence of coronavirus in the UK.

It is based on a representative sample of swab tests collected from tens of thousands of households.

It is therefore able to estimate the percentage of people likely to test positive for Covid-19 at any one point in time – regardless of when they caught the virus, if they have had it before and whether they have symptoms.

By contrast, the number of cases of Covid-19 announced each day by the government is limited only to those people who have reported themselves as testing positive for the virus.

It is also affected by how many people are coming forward for tests or who are taking a test because they know they have coronavirus symptoms.

While the vast majority of cases are mild, the Covid cases have been causing disruption across the region's schools, as headteachers cope with pupil and staff absences.