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Yale University is moving forward with in-person exams despite the fast-spreading Omicron variant being detected on campus and as fellow Ivy Leaguer Harvard University experiences a COVID spike of its own with 55 students and staff testing positive.

There's no indication the latest iteration of the virus is spreading rapidly at Yale despite it being detected in a 'handful' of cases, according to an expert at the New Haven, Connecticut, university.

'[There is] no evidence of the magnitude of spread seen in South Africa,' Dr. Sten H. Vermund, dean of the Yale School of Public Health, told DailyMail.com on Thursday.

'We have had highly successful precautions in place - air quality, universal masking, limited gatherings, near-universal vaccination, periodic and opportunistic testing, et cetera - and we do not intend to close school.'

At Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the number of students with COVID has doubled in almost one week, up from 15 cases on December 9 to 41 cases on Wednesday. The number of staff testing positive increased from eight last week to 14. 

A Harvard spokesperson would not say whether the school is moving its finals online, but a recent university statement said the increase was 'largely driven by the Delta variant.' 

Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and Princeton in New Jersey announced earlier this week that they would move final exams online amid a jarring rise of infections.  

Omicron cases in the US have soared by 32 per cent in 24 hours, with White House COVID tsar Dr Anthony Fauci warning of of the variant's 'extraordinary' ability to spread, before revealing that cases will double every three days. 

Although it's detected the super-spreading variant, Yale's data indicates its infection level remains low. There were 10 COVID-cases reported Tuesday, and four cases reported Monday

Data from Harvard University indicates the school is experiencing an uptick in cases, with 55 people testing positive on campus Wednesday, compared with 23 cases on December 9

Dr. Sten H. Vermund, dean of the Yale School of Public Health

'We are mindful that there is a likelihood that the highly transmissible Omicron variant will become more prevalent in communities across the country,' the statement said. 

'While there is evidence that the Omicron variant causes milder infection, especially in those who are fully vaccinated, hospitalizations have occurred and there is still much that we don’t know about Omicron. 

'We are monitoring the developments around the Omicron variant closely and urge you to take its threat seriously, as it is more contagious and could disrupt your holiday plans.'

Although it has detected the super-spreading variant, Yale's data indicates the infection level at the school remains low. There were 10 - five student and five faculty - COVID-cases reported Tuesday, and four cases reported Monday, when just one case involved a student.

No cases were reported Sunday and cases appear to be on the decline since December 8, when 17 tests came back positive

New York University leadership said in a statement that its COVID-19 data  indicated a 'considerable acceleration in the rate of new cases in our community.' The school is recommending finals be moved online.

At Harvard, 97 percent of students and staff are vaccinated; at Yale, 99.7 of undergraduate students are inoculated and 99 percent of graduates and professional students have been vaccinated. 

Yale University (left) is moving forward with its in person exams, and Harvard University (right) would not say whether it was switching its finals to a remote format

Cases at Harvard University are also on the upswing as the latest highly-contagious variant continues to hammer east coast universities, prompting Cornell University and Princeton University to move final exams online. 

Princeton University has joined Cornell in moving its final exams online after reporting a surge of dozens of COVID cases - up from zero on Sunday - that it says are likely driven by the highly-contagious Omicron variant.

Princeton's campus reported nine student infections Wednesday and another 20 on Tuesday, coupled with 19 others on Monday. 

The data represents a large spike from previous days: Two students had tested positive last Friday and six were recorded last Saturday. There were no positive cases on Sunday.

Princeton - which boasts a 99 percent vaccination rate for undergrad students - is also mandating booster shots as it attempts to curb the spread of the seemingly unstoppable variant. 

Students, faculty and staff at the elite university will be required to get the extra jab by January 31, dean Jill Dolan and vice president for campus life Rochelle Calhoun said in a joint statement.

Princeton's campus reported nine student infections Wednesday and another 20 on Tuesday, coupled with 19 others on Monday

At Cornell on Tuesday, 257 new cases were reported among students, and on Monday another 272 students were announced to have tested positive for the virus

Cornell University made a similar call Tuesday in moving exams online as the Omicron variant pushed it into 'red alert' territory.

Princeton also ordered its campus community to cancel or postpone all indoor gatherings through January 7 after recording an abrupt uptick in COVID-19 cases.

 'The State of New Jersey requires anyone testing positive for COVID to isolate for 10 days, whether or not they’re symptomatic,' Princeton's joint letter said. 

Princeton is also mandating booster shots for its students, staff and faculty

'Given that we’ve seen an uptick in cases among undergraduates during the last 24 hours - including suspected cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant -we hope to avoid letting the final exam schedule interfere with students’ travel home for Winter Break.' 

Princeton's vaccination rates are near optimal, with 96 percent of staff and 99 percent of undergrads inoculated. In the graduate community, 98 percent of students have had the jab, according to its in-house data.

Princeton's faculty and staff are also experiencing an uptick with seven cases confirmed Wednesday, eight confirmed Tuesday and another five cases Monday, compared with a single case on Saturday.

Princeton's vaccination rates are near optimal, with 96 percent of staff and 99 percent of undergrads inoculated. In the graduate community, 98 percent of students have had the jab

Cornell University has revealed there were 903 cases of Covid-19 among fully vaccinated students on campus over the last week, between December 7-13, with 'very high percentage' of them Omicron variant cases. 

The skyrocketing numbers show just how quickly the new variant is spreading through the 25,500-strong student population.

There were 12 cases December 6 and another 27 on December 7; the following day, the figure more than doubled to 58 cases, according to university data.    

On Tuesday, 257 new cases were reported among students, and on Monday another 272 students were announced to have tested positive for the virus.

Libraries have been shut, athletic competitions are cancelled and upcoming events have been scrapped after 214 new cases were confirmed Monday and another 227 tests came back positive Sunday.

'Virtually every case of the Omicron variant to date has been found in fully vaccinated students, a portion of whom had also received a booster shot,' said Vice President for University Relations Joel Malina in a statement.  

Cornell University president Martha E. Pollack

Cases at the Ithaca, New York campus - where 97 percent of staff and students are vaccinated, the university says - began snowballing last week. 

The school's COVID-19 testing lab found evidence of the Omicron variant in a 'significant number' of Monday's positive student samples, Cornell President Martha E. Pollack said in a statement.

She said that although the school isn't certain Omicron is to blame, it's proceeding as if it is and taking immediate measures to protect its population.

'While there is still much that is not known about the Omicron variant, it appears to be significantly more transmissible than Delta and other variants,' Pollack said in the letter. 

'There is some evidence (though far from certain) that it generally causes milder cases, particularly among vaccinated individuals. 

Cases are on the rise despite 97 percent of staff and students being vaccinated, school data indicates

Cornell University (pictured) has moved to a red alert prompting exams to be taken remotely and in-person events to be cancelled 

'However, when you have high transmissibility, you're going to have very high numbers of cases, and so even with lower rates of serious illness, outbreaks must be taken seriously.'

The school moving to red alert also prompted the cancellation of a December 18 recognition ceremony for December graduates. 

It asked those living in dorms to take their cafeteria meals to-go and eat in their rooms, and said visitors are not allowed on campus unless they're there to whisk a student away for winter break.

'It is obviously extremely dispiriting to have to take these steps,' Pollack said. 'However, since the start of the pandemic, our commitment has been to follow the science and do all we can to protect the health of our faculty, staff, and students.'

The university's figures show that students are disproportionately becoming infected. All of those who tested positive Monday were students, while employees accounted for just seven of the 227 cases on Sunday.

An uptick in COVID-19 cases has prompted efforts to curb the spread across the country, including in New York and California, which are temporarily bringing back their mask mandates.

Omicron is now in 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, including far off Alaska, and now accounts for three percent of US COVID-19 cases, up from one percent last week.

The Biden administration is preparing for a surge of Omicron cases that it worries will sicken Americans and exacerbate an already overloaded healthcare system. 

'Everything points to a large wave. A large wave is coming,' a senior administration official in President Joe Biden's White House told Axios. 

The official, however, expressed hope the cases wouldn't be as severe as previous COVID variants including Delta as the White House continues to push booster shots as the best protection. 

'It will be fast. It won't be as severe, but regrettably, there will be plenty of hospitalizations,' the person said. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci said previously that initial data suggest the Omicron strain is less deadly than Delta, but warned that it's too late to be certain. 

Dr Anthony Fauci has said preliminary data suggests the omicron strain is less deadly than delta, but also cautioned that it is too early to say for sure.

And the Delta variant continues to spread, especially in the Midwest, Southwest and New England regions of the United States.  

California and New York are among the states reinstating mask mandates.

In California, where cases have spiked 47 percent since Thanksgiving, the statewide mandate will take effect Wednesday and last at least until January 15.

'We know people are tired and hungry for normalcy,' California health agency secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly told reporters during a press briefing. 'Frankly, I am too. 'That said, this is a critical time where we have a tool that we know has worked and can work.' 

In New York, with more than 10,500 new cases per day, the mandate took effect Monday and applies to all public spaces that have not implemented a vaccine requirement.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden canceled traditional White House holiday party plans over the virus spike and will instead host 'Holiday Open Houses' for visitors to view the decorations in the executive mansion.

A Moderna executive has warned that a new super-variant could be created if Omicron and Delta infect someone at the same time.  

Covid infections normally only involve one mutant strain, but in extremely rare cases two can strike simultaneously. 

If these also infect the same cell, they may be able to swap DNA and combine to make a new version of the virus. 

'There's certainly data, there have been some papers published again from South Africa earlier from the pandemic when people - and certainly immunocompromised people — can harbor both viruses,' Dr. Paul Burton, Moderna's chief medical officer, told British members of parliament. 

'That would be possible here, particularly given the number of infections that we were seeing.' 

The amount of unknowns tied to the Omicron variant contributed to Cornell's decision to play it safe. 

Said Pollack: 'Thus, we need to do what we can to limit further spread, even though we are just a few days away from the end of the semester.'