Sniffer dogs can nose out coronavirus? Researcher claims 'with greater reliability than PCR tests'
Sniffer dogs in Finland have been trained to detect coronavirus. As per researchers at the University of Helsinki, dogs successfully trained to identify the prevalence of COVID-19. Normally, the presence of coronavirus is being found through either blood testing antibodies or PCR tests via nasal swab. Researchers in Finland reportedly trained dogs to identify the traces of coronavirus through urine samples from patients who have tested positive.
“The research has exceeded our expectations,” researcher Anna Hielm-Björkman told national broadcaster Yle. “The dogs have identified cancer and other diseases in the past, but we have been surprised at how much easier it is for the dogs to spot corona.”
Björkman claimed that the dogs were successfully able to weed out COVID-19 positive patients when the sample was kept alongside four non-coronavirus samples.
A researcher went on to claim that Kossi, the Spanish Greyhound, sniffed positive samples of coronavirus with greater reliability than PCR tests and antibody tests.
This can be a game-changer as it means dogs can be used to sniff out even mild and asymptomatic patients.
Hielm-Björkman stressed that dogs do not have the receptors necessary for the virus to gain a foothold.
“We've had inquiries from doctors and other researchers, but also embassies, customs agencies and police dog trainers,” Björkman said.
