‘Dogs can sniff Covid almost as well as PCR tests’

‘Dogs can sniff Covid almost as well as PCR tests’

21.05.2021 TOI 

Dogs are able to detect Covid-19 in humans, a new study showed, paving the way for the broader use of sniffing canines in a global effort to contain the pandemic. The dogs’ detection reached 97% sensitivity in the French study, meaning that’s how well the canines could identify positive samples. The sniffing was also 91% specific, which rates the dogs’ ability to identify negatives. The sensitivity rating beats that of many 15-minute antigen tests, which tend to be better at ruling out infection than at finding it. The results mean that dogs could be more widely deployed in airports or stations to screen people. Using dogs also means Covid could be identified at just a fraction of a second in a non-invasive manner, and at a low cost. The trial was conducted at National Veterinary School in Maisons Alfort near Paris. There were 335 people tested, of which 109 were positive in a PCR test that served as a control. Nine dogs participated. BLOOMBERG