Novel coronavirus information

Husky Coronavirus Testing

The UW has updated its COVID-19 policies. Learn more.

Husky Coronavirus Testing has ended.

As of June 17, 2023, we are no longer distributing PCR swab kits or antigen tests. Antigen tests are still available through the UW. For more information, please visit our testing page.


The Husky Coronavirus Testing program was a voluntary research study that ran from September 2020 to June 2023, providing COVID-19 testing for University of Washington staff, faculty and students.

HCT initially grew out of a need for increased testing access at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and has changed along the way, in partnership with the UW community. Over the last three years over 40,000 participants were enrolled, over 234,000 swabs were tested for SARS-CoV-2 and approximately 2,391,000 daily attestation surveys were completed by study participants.

Thus far, data from HCT has contributed to two published manuscripts and there is ongoing analysis of data from this study to inform scientific knowledge of rapid test accuracy, Long COVID in a university population, and vaccine effectiveness. HCT study research results are shown on the Chu Lab website and information about additional research manuscripts will be added as they are published and available to the public.

The University will continue to distribute COVID-19 antigen test kits free of charge. For more information, please visit our testing page or the UW Environmental Health and Safety COVID-19 Prevention and Response website.

This program was powered by the Seattle Flu Alliance team — the group that was the first to report community spread of COVID-19 in the United States. If you have questions, please email huskytest@uw.edu.