Kids in England were diagnosed with just 1% of coronavirus cases during the first peak - but does that mean it's safe to return to school?

A new study has shown that children under 16 in England made up just one per cent of coronavirus cases during the first peak of the virus.

The authors of the new study, led by Public Health England (PHE), say that their findings show the "limited role" of children in the coronavirus pandemic. The findings have come just weeks ahead of school children in England returning to classrooms in September.

While Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he has "no doubt" that schools can return safely next month, some scientists have expressed concern that secondary school age children can transmit the virus in the same way as adults.

Will a return to schools cause a spike in coronavirus cases?

The findings of this latest study are likely to be seized upon by UK officials as evidence that a return to schools will not result in a spike of coronavirus cases.

The authors of the study found that, between 1 January and 3 May, 129,704 people out of 540,305 tested positive for coronavirus. A total of 35,200 tests were carried out on children under 16, with 1,408 confirmed cases among children aged 15.

This equated to around four per cent of all children who were tested having a positive result. In comparison, 19.1 per cent to 34.9 per cent of adults who tested got a positive result.