Canines to the rescue? dogs used to detect coronavirus at at Helsinki airport

There is now a new addition in the fight against coronavirus. Dogs are now being used to detect coronavirus. At Finland's Helsinki-Vantaa airport, trained dogs are used to sniff passenger samples to detect COVID-19, authorities said.

The project is being used alongside the usual testing methods for the deadly virus.

However, comparative scientific studies have not yet confirmed dogs' efficiency in sniffing out COVID-19. Therefore, the passengers who volunteer to be tested by the dogs are also instructed to take a swab to confirm the result.

In the canine test, the passenger swipes their neck with a gauze, places it in a can which is then handed over to another room for a dog to sniff and to deliver an immediate result. However as reiterated earlier, this the first line of testing for the passengers who volunteer, who can then go for the swab test to confirm the result. 

Covid-19 dogs started their work today at the Helsinki Airport at arrival hall 2B. Dogs have been trained to detect the coronavirus from the test wipes given by the testperson. Service is voluntary and primarily targeted for passengers arriving from abroad. pic.twitter.com/ieMLm0KuZY

— Helsinki Airport (@HelsinkiAirport) September 22, 2020

A private veterinary clinic sponsored a team of 15 dogs and 10 instructors for the job.

Anna Hielm-Bjorkman, adjunct professor at the University of Helsinki and specialised in clinical research for companion animals, said that dogs can detect the disease five days before the patient can develop any clinical symptoms.

Coronavirus has affected more than 31.9 million people around the world, killing 9,77,000 people.

There are 9,365 COVID-19 cases in Finland with 341 deaths