Good news to all!
Dogs are our new superheroes in this pandemic! Finland has found a way to successfully use dogs in detecting coronavirus in airports!
For weeks now, Finland’s airport in Helsinki-Vantaa has been doing successful trials detecting COVID-positive passengers in airports with the help of dogs. The group has reported that the trial has been so successful and it’s proving to be a truly effective and cheaper alternative to traditional tests.
The test is pretty simple. Passengers who consented to volunteer for the trial simply had to wipe their skin with a tissue. Upon wiping, passengers just need to place the tissue into a container. The container with the tissue is then given to trained dogs. Upon sniffing and the tissue is found to be COVID-positive, the dogs react.
The dogs usually yelp, lie down or paw their trainers when they sniff the virus in a given wipe. Upon such reaction, said passengers are asked to take free nasal swab tests for verification. Upon a positive test, a passenger is then directly sent to the hospital.
Per the trials, the dogs have been 100% accurate in detecting the virus. It is impressive and game-changing because the result is way faster than regular laboratory tests that usually takes hours.
Some can even take up days. Researchers even showed data that illustrated how quicker and more sensitive trained dogs are if be compared to available tests in the market.
So far, four sniffer dogs are now actively on duty during trials. Ten more dogs are currently being trained. Should the trial period be successful, Finland will be set to use dogs to replace other forms of testing. According to peer-reviewed studies, dogs can truly be 100% accurate in detecting positive patients.
So far, the successful trial has encouraged other international research teams to do the same.
Wow, how lucky are we that dogs are here to save the day! Dogs are simply the best!