Turns Out, Helsinki Airport Uses Dogs To Sniff Out Coronavirus And It's Faster Than Lab Testing

Are adorable, fluffy doggies going to be the ones to help save humanity from the global pandemic? There's a big possibility that they are. I mean, they've been doing it for quite a while already, but in more of an emotional sense. But apparently, dogs are now professionally trained and they are able to sniff out COVID-19 faster than laboratory testing.

Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently, professionally trained dogs have recently started working at Helsinki airport in Finland to help detect COVID-19-infected passengers.

More info: finavia.fi

Apparently, a research group at the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Helsinki recently conducted a study whose results indicated that dogs are able to smell the virus with almost 100% certainty. Moreover, they are able to detect the virus before the symptoms have even started, which is impossible with laboratory testing.

"It’s a very promising method. Dogs are very good at sniffing," Anna Hielm-Bjorkman, a University of Helsinki professor, told Global News. "If it works, it will be a good (coronavirus) screening method at any other places."

Unfortunately, taking this test doesn't include direct contact with the dog. Apparently, those taking a test will have to swipe their skin using a test wipe and drop it into a cup. After that, the cup is given to a dog to do the sniffing job. It takes about 10 seconds for dog to sniff a sample.

According to Finavia, in the future, four dogs will work at the airport during a shift. “Dogs need to rest from time to time. While two dogs are working, the other two are on a break. The service is mainly intended for passengers arriving from outside the country,” says Susanna Paavilainen, CEO of Suomen hajuerottelu - WiseNose Ry, University of Helsinki’s DogRisk research group.