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Can Canine COVID Sniffers Save the Human Race?


Dodger

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Researchers in the UK believe that dogs can be trained to detect COVID-19 even before someone is showing symptoms. Scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine claim the illness gives off a distinct smell in humans, which can be picked up by a trained dog.

They are already being used to detect cancers and can detect malaria with greater accuracy than the tests approved by the World Health Organization.

We've all seen these excitable little mutts sniffing around our ankles and bags at airports. There may be a lot more of them by the end of the year.

These dogs could prove to be the most effective weapon so far in the battle against the pandemic, and the benefits are obvious. One dog will be able to test thousands of people a day without any inconvenience to the general public, and the results will be instantaneous. You won't even know you're being tested. The ability to immediately detect and isolate a person who is infected with the virus at such an early stage will undoubtedly be a massive game-changer.

Imagine what a difference it would have made to have had these sniffers at airports in February and March instead of handing out flyers advising people travelling from China to self-isolate. That really worked, didn't it?

Everything is easier with hindsight, but as a dog lover, I've always believed our canine friend's abilities are criminally underused. Humans often place more trust in religious doctrine and old wives' tales than the supposed dumb animals that share our planet.

While my dog sometimes makes me laugh when he barks at the coffee machine, no human can compete with his extraordinary sense of smell, so why not get them to help.

It's possible that the eventual lifting of the current quarantine restrictions could coincide with the introduction of these hyper-sensitive COVID sniffers at airports and border crossings. If successful, they could become common features at entrances to sporting event, conventions, train stations, even shopping malls wherever people gather en-masse.

The cost of saving the human race; other than the training and the dog handlers, amounts to nothing more than a few treats and some well-deserved love and affection.

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