Epidemiologist Warns Opening Schools Isn’t Safe Yet — Here’s What He Says We Have To Do
Epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding has been sharing the latest research information on COVID-19, and he’s got bad news on the school front. He says that with the data coming out of current studies, he doesn’t believe it’s safe to re-open schools yet. However, that could change if we can get teachers and staff safely vaccinated.

In a series of tweeted threads over the first few days of January 2021, Dr. Feigl-Ding shared information from studies showing that teachers are being infected with COVID-19 at a rate more than three times as high as the rest of the population, that children are more likely than adults to bring the virus into the home (even if the kids themselves don’t show symptoms), and that keeping schools closed, until inoculation goals can be reached, is one of the key strategies to keep the pandemic under some semblance of control.
As the new year began, Feigl-Ding was sharing information about the new B117 variant of the virus. He warned that it’s more contagious, and specifically more contagious in children, citing data released by the Imperial College London and public health and research entities.
📍Worrisome new data—new B117 variant is not only more infectious, it’s potentially more infectious in children 0-9 (+24%) and 10-19 (+14%), and less among 60-79, compared to common strains. More sobering—the R estimate is much higher.
THREADđź§µ #COVID19 https://t.co/2tXzvy4QpU pic.twitter.com/PiUbf9zAPS
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) January 2, 2021
This increased communicability, Feigl-Ding says, suggests we should rethink opening schools just yet.
5) To be clear, there is a concern there is a school effect, but the Imperial team adjusted for time (what week it was). And this isn’t saying kids are more infectious than adults—likely now on par with adults (kids were lower risk with older strain).
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) January 2, 2021
Further citing a report from the UK’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), he’s warning that even though young people might not suffer as much from the virus, they’re more likely to be the ones who bring it into the household.
Children & #COVID19—UK 🇬🇧 SAGE expert report speaks for itself.
📌Kids more likely to bring the virus into household than aged 17+
📌Young people 2-16 more likely to be first case in household—age 12-16 are 7x more likely.
📌2-16 year olds more >2x as likely to pass on virus. https://t.co/V33QYBUX3J pic.twitter.com/6GejDq9LfA
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) January 3, 2021
Among other details, kids between ages 12 and 16 are seven times more likely to be the first COVID-19 case in a household compared to an adult, and kids between 2 and 16 are twice as likely to pass on the virus to others as adults are.
He further cited opinions of Dr. Deepti Gurdasani, a statistical geneticist, and her explanations of a few more important points regarding spread. Dr. Gurdasani explained that the more infectious variant appears to have already become the dominant strain in the UK, and her view that primary schools are not safe, despite some claims to the contrary, because they contribute significantly to the spread of the virus in the community.
🏫SCHOOLS: 2 critical points:
Question: Are primary schools safe?
➡️Dr Gurdansani:
📌No, they contribute significantly to community transmission.
📌Overwhelming evidence that schools do drive community transmission.
📌Cases in schools are woefully underestimated. #COVID19 🧵 https://t.co/qY7wrfQ5zw pic.twitter.com/FNbrz6zFxK
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) January 4, 2021
As for the adults in the school system, Tes is reporting that rates of COVID-19 among teachers are as high as 3-4 times that of others in the community — suggesting that school re-opening is absolutely endangering our teachers.
11) Look, I hate hate hate school closures just as much as anyone else with kids. I don’t share it for doom and gloom or any agenda—other than stopping then pandemic so that we can return to normal lives sooner and send kids back to school **sooner**. #ZeroCovid is the way. pic.twitter.com/81PuOgQ0H9
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) January 4, 2021
Perhaps most importantly, the noted epidemiologist shared information from the journal Nature Human Behavior showing that one of the most effective nonmedical measures to contain the virus and limit the spread is school closure.
He’s not without hope — Dr. Feigl-Ding is encouraging the increased rollout of vaccines, so that teachers and school staff can be inoculated. (A vaccine has not yet been approved for children.) He’s encouraging the nation to make the necessary efforts to get the virus under control — then schools will be able to open safely.