Husky Coronavirus Testing Study
You can spread the coronavirus even if you have no symptoms — so for your health and the health of our community, you’re encouraged to enroll in the Husky Coronavirus Testing program. HCT is a voluntary research study that provides COVID-19 testing for University personnel and students.
Beginning winter quarter 2023, all nasal swabs collected for COVID-19 testing will also be tested for RSV and influenza.
If you have questions, please review our testing FAQ. You can also email huskytest@uw.edu or call 206-616-2414.
Enrollment for UW students, faculty and staff remains open.
Who should enroll
To make this program effective and protect our community, it’s important that as many people as possible participate. All UW students and personnel who will be at a UW campus or facility are strongly encouraged to sign up if they would like to participate in this research, even if they have been fully vaccinated.
The program is voluntary and available on the Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses. You need a UW NetID to participate and must either work or attend classes at least once per month — either remotely or in person — and live within commuting distance of the Bothell, Seattle or Tacoma campus. Since Husky Coronavirus Testing is conducted as a voluntary research study, you can opt-out at any time.
Medical and health sciences students participating in clinical activities are welcome to participate in Husky Coronavirus Testing, but will also need to continue to follow specific clinical testing protocols. Student-athletes should continue to participate in UW Athletics’ testing program. UW Medicine clinical personnel should continue to follow in UW Medicine’s testing protocol.
What happens when you enroll
If you choose to participate in Husky Coronavirus Testing: You’ll complete a baseline questionnaire about your demographics, contact information and housing situation. Depending on your responses about symptoms or recent exposures, you may be asked to visit a testing station when you enroll.
You’ll get a daily e-mail or text message asking you to fill out a short questionnaire (< 2 min) about whether or not you feel sick or may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. Questionnaires continue for the duration of participation in the study.
- Didn’t receive your e-mail or text message? You can complete your daily check-in at seattleflu.org/uw/start.
Based on need and risk, we may ask you to be tested for a viral infection during the academic year, either at an on-campus testing station or by a kit that we mail to your house. This would happen if you are feeling sick or have recently been around a sick person, or recently traveled. We may also request you to get tested even when you do not feel sick to detect COVID-19 in people without symptoms and to improve our understanding of how COVID-19 circulates in the community.