Can dogs smell the coronavirus? Company training new COVID-detection dogs
Dogs can sniff out drugs and bombs, or find someone lost in the woods. They can even smell when someone is about to have a seizure. Now, dogs with specially trained snouts could also be enlisted into the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
A British organization that specializes in medical detection dogs is training six to prove that well-trained canines could be a reliable first line of defense to screen people for COVID-19.
“If our research is successful, COVID-19 detection dogs could be deployed in public places such as airports and sporting events. Once trained, detection dogs could be deployed in airports or other venues to screen large numbers of people, providing a rapid non-invasive screening for COVID-19,” the charitable organization Medical Detection Dogs said on its website.
Countries around the world have struggled with testing enough of their populations to control the spread of the virus.
The organization says one dog could screen as many as 250 people in an hour. The researchers say they are already talking to border control agencies in several countries about using COVID-detection dogs to help keep the pandemic under control.
The organization is working with researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Durham University to prove that dogs can detect the virus in people.
The organization said there are six dogs in the first COVID-detection training class: Norman, Digby, Storm, Star, Jasper and Asher.
“COVID-19 detection dogs could also assist in mapping and intelligence gathering to provide estimates of likely percentage of infected travellers on flights from ‘hotspot’ locations from around the world. This would provide rapid information of risk and likelihood of rapid spread, helping to prevent an uncontrolled second wave of COVID-19 in the autumn,” the organization said.
This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Can dogs smell the coronavirus? Company training new COVID-detection dogs."
