Sniffer dogs, new idea to detect covid patients

UAE police launches new idea to find Corona using dogs to detect Covid patients. The inspection is currently being carried out at three entry points, including two airports across the country, The swab samples collected from the armpits of those suspected of inspection are used for this purpose. Meanwhile, dogs are currently being used at Abu Dhabi and Sharjah airports and at the Guwahati border point. Police dogs will detect the smell of a small sample taken from the suspects armpits, and will determine, if they are infected with the covid virus within seconds. The home ministry has confirmed that the passengers would not have direct contact with the dogs or their trainers.

Meanwhile, in Finland, a pilot project using sniffer dogs to provide instant and pain-free coronavirus testing at Helsinki airport has shown promising early results and proven popular with travellers, researchers. Three dogs, named Kossi, ET and Miina, have sniffed swabs taken from 2,200 passengers in the month since the testing booth was set up at the airport’s arrivals hall, and have found the virus in 0.6 percent of travellers. Although the research is not due for completion until December, the team say the initial findings appear broadly in line with detection rates of the nasal PCR tests also conducted on arriving travellers.