Symptom Tracker Is Now Available

Dear students, faculty and staff,

As Fall Quarter gets underway, I write to update you on a new tool designed with the health of our community in mind.

As mentioned in previous communications, Northwestern University has partnered with Northwestern Medicine to develop Symptom Tracker, a daily health monitoring application that aims to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 within our community. The web-based application — designed to work on computers, smartphones and tablets — is now accessible via web browser at symptomtracker.northwestern.edu and through Northwestern’s COVID-19 and Campus Updates website.

In addition, the Symptom Tracker app has been approved by Apple and will appear, for free, in the Apple app store soon. The University is working with Google Play as well, and we hope to provide an update soon.

Symptom Tracker prompts you to answer a daily symptom questionnaire, which you must complete prior to attending on-campus work, programming or activities, including classes. After completing the questionnaire, if you indicated symptoms that may be associated with COVID-19, or knowingly have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you will be issued a virtual red badge and given instructions on how to proceed. Similarly, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 at any of Northwestern’s testing locations will be issued a red badge.

If you do not have symptoms and have not tested positive for COVID-19, you will receive a virtual green badge, which you must be prepared to display when on campus. If you do not have a smartphone, then you can complete your daily questionnaire and print a badge from a computer.

Faculty, students, staff and visitors are expected to use the web app for daily health monitoring. The app replaces the existing health monitoring web form previously used by employees. Completing your daily symptom check — and staying home if you have any symptoms — are important steps to fostering a healthy campus environment. 

Students, faculty and staff who come to the Evanston and Chicago campuses can begin using Symptom Tracker on Monday, Sept. 14.

Please note, this questionnaire is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnoses or suggestions for treatment. If you have health concerns, students should contact Northwestern University Health Service at 847-491-8100; faculty, staff and visitors should contact their healthcare providers.

Everyone in the Northwestern community using Symptom Tracker is expected to provide truthful answers to the symptom questionnaire. If it is determined that an employee, faculty member or student did not provide truthful answers in Symptom Tracker, individuals are subject to disciplinary actions. Information about the type of data collected and how it is used can be found on the COVID-19 and Campus Updates website.

We thank you for your partnership to protect the health and safety of the entire Northwestern community — and the greater communities beyond our campuses. We truly are “N This Together.”

Luke Figora
Senior Associate VP 
Chief Risk and Compliance Officer