Vaccine Update for Students

Dear Northwestern students,

Today, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced a new program, College Vaccination Days, to encourage public and private university students to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, which will be provided at mass vaccination sites. The program begins this weekend, and students are free to choose whether to participate.

Northwestern University has created a webpage to provide the community with updates from the state as we receive them. State vaccination sites will be added in the coming days. Please visit the Health section of the COVID-19 and Campus Updates website for updates.

Additionally, starting next week, Northwestern’s vaccine clinics will begin prioritizing students, who became eligible for vaccinations in Illinois on April 12.

We expect to offer approximately 600 first doses of the Moderna vaccine next week. We will invite students to vaccination events directly, using information about who is participating in on-campus testing in order to stage invitations. 

Beginning the week of April 19, we will invite students living in on-campus housing first and then invite students registered for in-person classes. We will then invite undergraduate and graduate students based on their engagement level on campus, prioritizing those who have been the most actively engaged.

If a student has received a first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine and is having trouble scheduling their second dose, they should contact the University Health Service for assistance.

We do not yet have enough vaccine supply for every student who needs one. If you are not invited to a Northwestern vaccination event next week, we ask you to be patient and await an invitation in the coming weeks as supply continues to increase. You also can continue to seek appointments elsewhere, including through the College Vaccination Days program, if you have the opportunity. 

Disclose Your Vaccination Status

As a reminder, any student who becomes vaccinated is strongly encouraged to disclose your vaccination status here. Disclosure is voluntary, but it is helpful to our planning efforts. By disclosing your vaccination status, you are helping us:

• Advocate to public health officials for vaccine supply targeted to those who still need it
• Understand the percentage of the community that has been vaccinated
• Be prepared to respond to changing public health guidelines associated with vaccination status
• Appropriately and quickly navigate your personal health situation if you are identified during contact tracing efforts
• Plan for testing and other public health strategies for the summer and fall

Thank you for your continued efforts to foster a healthy Northwestern community.

Luke Figora
Vice President for Operations