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Four Covid-19 sniffer dogs have started work at Helsinki Airport on a state-funded pilot scheme that Finnish researchers hope will provide a cheap, fast and effective alternative method of testing people for the virus.
A dog is capable of detecting the presence of the coronavirus in 10 seconds and the entire process takes less than a minute to complete, according to Anna Hielm-Björkman of the University of Helsinki, who oversees the trial.
“It is very promising,” Hielm-Björkman said. “If it works, it could be a good screening method in other places,” such as hospitals, residences, and sporting and cultural events.
After collecting their luggage, arriving international passengers are asked to wipe their necks dry with a washcloth. In a separate cabin, the bottle containing the wipe is placed next to others containing different scents and the dog begins to sniff.
If it indicates that it has detected the virus, usually howling, kicking or lying down, the passenger is recommended to undergo a free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test with a nasal swab to verify the dog’s verdict.
In preliminary tests at the university, the dogs, which have previously been used to detect diseases such as cancer and diabetes, were able to identify the virus with almost 100% accuracy, even days before the patient developed symptoms.
Scientists are still not sure what exactly dogs smell when they detect the virus. A French study published in June concluded that there was “very high evidence” that the smell of sweat from people who were positive for Covid was different from those who did not have the virus, and that dogs could detect that difference.
Dogs can also identify Covid-19 from a much smaller molecular sample than PCR tests, Helsinki airport said, as they only need 10 to 100 molecules to detect the presence of the virus compared to 18 million needed by laboratory equipment.
Authorities in Vantaa, the city where Helsinki International Airport is located, said the pilot program, which is expected to last four months, cost 300,000 euros (£ 274,000), which they said was significantly lower than for the laboratory-based test methods.
Although Covid-19 is known to infect minks and cats, dogs do not have the receptors necessary for the virus to become easily established and do not appear to become easily infected, according to Hielm-Björkman. There is no evidence that they can transmit the virus to people or other animals.
A Finnish organization that specializes in training animals in odor detection, Wise Nose, is training a total of 16 dogs for the project, 10 of which are expected to eventually be able to work at the airport. Working shifts of two, four of them (ET, Kossi, Miina and Valo) started on Wednesday.
Researchers from countries including Australia, France, Germany and Britain are reportedly working on similar projects, but Finland is the first country in Europe to put dogs to work sniffing out the coronavirus. A similar test began at Dubai International Airport last month.
