COVID-19 detecting K-9 dogs got up to 94% accuracy in the initial tests of a local K-19 organization in Virginia.
Sniffer dog Sammy takes part in a training to detect the Covid-19 (coronavirus), at "K-9" (canine) Detection center, in Bredene, western Belgium, on March 3, 2021.
COVID-19 Detecting Dogs
It is not the first time that dogs were used to detect COVID-19 infection in humans.
For instance, as early as Sept. 26, 2020, Finland was already testing coronavirus sniffing dogs in their airports, which posted a 94% to 100% accuracy rate.
Another study published by Journal Penn Today Health Sciences last April 18 showed that the man's best friend could tell if a person is positive from the COVID-19 of up to 96% accuracy.
COVID-19 Detecting K-9 Dogs Got up to 94% Accuracy
Now, a K-9 org, known as K-9 Interdiction, is also using dogs to detect the raging COVID-19 in humans, as per the latest report of 13NewsNow.
The local news outlet further noted that the latest breakthrough could be used in highly dense events, such as concerts, sports events, schools, and even tourist spots.
The dog handler and business development director of the American K-9 Interdiction, James Overton, admitted that he "met it with a lot of skepticism." However, he was surprised that "the dogs proved me wrong."
Three K-9 dogs were trained to sniff COVID-19 out of humans, namely Miles, Blade, and Dexter.
Although the K-9 org is known for training dogs to detect dangerous or illegal substances like explosives and drugs, it also taught their K-9s to be first-class in sniffing COVID infection.
Nevertheless, Overton still noted that virus detection and disease control is something new for their organization given that they used to work on security-related dealings that seek to prevent criminal acts.
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COVID-19 Detecting K-9 Dogs: How it Works
Overton further revealed that their organization worked along with Bon Secours and Sentara Healthcare to get COVID-19 samples that could be used during the K-9 training.
The vice president of Nursing at the Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital, Jan Philips, noted that all of their staff and patients supported the K-9 training program.
The K-9 trainers used a swab sample of the saliva of their patients inside a tube that the dogs will be sniffing.
The dogs were trained to run and alert the person handling them if the sample is COVID-19 positive, which helps determine those who are negative.
Overton claimed that the initial test resulted in an "astonishing accuracy rate" of 90%-94%.
What's more, the K-9 dogs impressively detected COVID-19 even in asymptomatic patients.
With all that said, Overton touted that the COVID-19 detecting dogs could be used as a third option, aside from the negative test result, as well as the vaccination proof as the economy further opens.
Related Article: COVID Sniffing Dogs Can Detect Coronavirus from Human Perspiration with up to 100% Success Rate, Study Says
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Written by Teejay Boris
