The school has a population of more than 1,700 students who are enrolled to earn a two-year MBA degree. According to the school's COVID-19 data, 95 percent of the students and 96 percent of staff are already fully vaccinated. But this status as a nearly 100 percent fully vaccinated educational institution did not stop the coronavirus from making its way through the students and staff.

COVID-19 cases in Harvard started rising in September, with two-thirds of all COVID-19 cases recorded in the month coming from students. One statement from the HBS said COVID-19 cases among MBA students surged by 20 percent in just three days.

"Our positivity rate is 12 times that of the rest of Harvard," said HBS Dean Srikant Datar. "These distressing figures are so high that they have attracted the scrutiny of local public health officials."

Harvard Business School reverts almost entirely to online instruction

To avoid further scrutiny from the public and to preserve the image of Harvard, Datar and several of the university's administrators have announced that HBS will instruct almost all of its students online until at least Oct. 30. This change affects almost all first-year and some second-year courses.