The UAE Ministry of Interior (MoI) has revealed in a video the process involved in detecting possible cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) using K9 police dogs.
The country becomes the first country in the world to use this method of detecting traces of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, after conducting a series of experiments that showed astounding 92 percent overall accuracy.
The four-legged detectives sniffed out presumed COVID-19 cases through high-speed sampling or non-invasive method to collect samples from the armpits of presumed cases.
Samples are then sniffed out by the dogs without coming in contact with the persons, while results become known in less than a minute.
Currently, K9 sniffer dogs have been stationed at airports across the UAE.
Major Salah Al Mazrooei, Director of Security Inspection at Dubai Police, explained, “An area was dedicated to detect COVID-19 using K9 police dogs. Samples are taken in collaboration with the partners from DHA. Results are out in less than a minute.”
He added that UAE is the first in the world to use K9 police dogs to detect traces of the novel coronavirus.
In a video taken at the Dubai airport, the samples taken from passengers are brought to an isolated room. Police dogs then sniff out each samples. If the dog sits and stay in front of the sample, it indicates a possible infection.
Travelers were amazed at this game-changer COVID-19 testing. One passenger said, “I thought only the PCR is used for testing for corona. I just found out that police dogs can be used for testing too.”
Those who undergo to the testing were also thankful that they no longer have to wait for days before the results come out.
“The test was very fast. Absolutely easy to do and I was surprised that it was available upon arrival,” one passenger said.
This method adds to the country’s significant contribution to the battle against the global pandemic.
To recall, the MoI also launched last April a smart police helmet that can measure temperatures from 5 metres (16 ft) away and scan up to 200 people a minute, effectively alerting an officer to a possible COVID-19 patient in a crowd.
