Remember we did an article late last year about Dubai dogs sniffing out Covid? Can’t remember? That’s okay, we won’t judge you. We’ll bring you up to speed.

After a year of studying the role of dogs in identifying Covid-19 in humans, the UAE now has a pack of 38 incredible canine workers at the airports. These dogs are reportedly trained by the Dubai Police to recognise the whiff of Covid-19 virus. The breeds include Border Collies, Cocker Spaniels, German Shepherds and Labradors. And from what we are hearing they are dogs with a big purpose in life.

Read the article here: The dog ‘nose’ more than we know

Trained dogs versus PCR test – what’s more effective?

Well, according to a recent study published in Plos One journal trained dogs are seen to detect Covid-19 more effectively versus nasal swab PCR tests. And here’s the thing; dogs involved in this study belong to Ministry of the Interior of the United Arab Emirates and the French fire departments (Service départemental d’Incendie et de Secours—SDIS of Yvelines and Oise).

The study further stated, “The results obtained in our prospective study involving 335 individuals [of the participants, 109 were positive with Covid, including 31 who were asymptomatic] who presented voluntarily in one of the APHP testing centres in Paris support the use of canine olfaction as an alternative to antigenic tests. Canine testing is non-invasive and provides immediate and reliable results. As for antigenic tests, positive results must be confirmed by RT-PCR, especially for variant screening. Further studies will be focused on direct sniffing by dogs to evaluate sniffer dogs for mass pre-test in airports, harbours, railways stations, cultural activities or sporting events.

Note: This article is meant for information and awareness only and should not be treated as medical opinion.