SNIFFER dogs may have a unique new role in the post-coronavirus world, because apparently they have the ability to smell COVID-19.
Dogs specially trained to detect the novel coronavirus have begun sniffing passengers at Helsinki Airport in Finland this week, as part of a research program being conducted by the University of Helsinki.
Volunteers are training 15 dogs and 10 handlers, with researchers saying the animals are able to detect COVID-19 in humans five days before they develop symptoms.
Under the trial, passengers wipe their necks with a cloth which is then placed into a can for the dogs to sniff.
During the trial, travellers are also instructed to take a swab to confirm the result.
Researchers from the University of South Australia have previously suggested "detector dogs in Australia could be hugely valuable" to sniffing out COVID.
Dogs in the experimental studies have not been shown to be able to replicate the virus within their bodies, the researchers said.
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