German sniffer dogs 'are able to detect Covid with 94 per cent accuracy'

A vet in Germany has claimed to have trained sniffer dogs to detect coronavirus in human saliva samples with up to 94 per cent accuracy.

The dogs are conditioned to sniff out the "corona odour" that comes from cells in infected people, said Esther Schalke, a vet at Germany's armed forces school for service dogs.

Holger Volk, head of the veterinary clinic said: "We did a study where we had dogs sniffing samples from Covid-positive patients and we can say that they have a 94 per cent probability in our study ... that they can sniff them out.

"So dogs can really sniff out people with infections and without infections, as well as asymptomatic and symptomatic Covid patients."

Filou, a 3-year-old Belgian Shepherd, and Joe Cocker, a 1-year-old Cocker Spaniel, are two of the dogs being trained at Hanover's University of Veterinary Medicine.

Stephan Weil, premier of Lower Saxony, the state of which Hanover is the capital, said he was impressed with the study and called for a feasibility tests before the sniffer dogs are put to use in everyday life, such as on people attending concerts.

He added: "We now need tests in selected events."

In Finland, dogs trained to detect the novel coronavirus began sniffing passenger samples at Finland's Helsinki-Vantaa airport last September, in a pilot project alongside more usual testing at the airport.

Chile's Santiago international airport is also using canine detectors.

In Russia, small fox-like ­canines called Shalaikas are also being trained to detect coronavirus, The Moscow Times previously reported.

In the UK a trial, supported by £500,000 of Government funding, is looking at figuring out whether dogs can be trained to sniff out the virus.

It involves scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Durham University.Follow the Official Rokna NEWS Telegram Channel For More and fresh NEWS.