Will doggy detectors sniff out Covid-19?

By Nina Notman2020-06-23T08:22:00

An illustration showing a large dog's head sniffing out a man infected with coronavirus amid a crowd of socially distanced figures

Source: © Dan Bright

How canines might help to find asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases of the coronavirus

One of the many approaches to curbing the number of cases of Covid-19 is to find those who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. In an attempt to do that, the UK government is funding a clinical trial to see if dogs can sniff out the virus. Trained dogs are already used to detect illegal drugs, explosive and prostate cancer. This article explains why this approach might work and how the dogs will be trained.

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