Dogs Now Being Used to Sniff Out Coronavirus on Planes

Helinski Airport is just like every other airport. It has TSA, security, delays, and overpriced food vendors. The only difference is that now, they also have screening dogs to sniff out anyone who might have coronavirus. 

Dogs have long been utilized for their intrinsic ability to sniff out things like cancer or malaria, as well as anticipate experiences like an anxiety attack or seizure. Now, they've also been asked to be a test for Covid-19. 

Since the start of the virus, researchers at the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Helsinki have been training the animals to find the virus in its carriers. Originally the dogs were only able to detect the virus from urine samplings, but the progress has been quick, and they are now able to smell it from just the sweat on our skin. They only need to smell about 10 molecules to detect coronavirus, according to the International Airport Review.

The current non-canine test being used requires 18,000,000 molecules to detect the virus, so there's really no comparison. Currently, there are only 4 dogs in use, but the airport is looking to expand the number likely up to 22 new canines. Why wait 2 days for a test result when we've already created a method that's way quicker and way cuter?

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