Helsinki Airport conducted a 4-month trial using dogs, who were taught to recognize COVID-19 by smell.
International passengers wiped their skin with a tissue, then it was taken to the dog in a special container.
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Four dogs of different breeds already trained to detect cancer, diabetes, and other diseases were the first to be used.
The volunteers had no direct contact with the dog.
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The trial involved testing about 100 passengers a day.
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Later, 4 dogs per shift were added, a total of 16 dogs.
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As of 6 November 2020, about 2,200 passengers and 16 dogs working in shifts took part in the trial, which cost around €300,000 ($390,000.
[1e18]. ), cheaper than carrying out PCR tests.
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The dogs currently working at Helsinki Airport are trained to detect the smell of the virus in sweat samples collected on the napkins of passengers arriving.
The dog only needs 10 seconds to detect a person with signs of Covid.
The passenger is offered a free Covid PCR test.
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During the second wave of the pandemic, Helsinki Airport used dogs to detect Covid.
A dog can determine whether its owner has been infected as early as 5 days before symptoms develop.
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Estonia,.
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Ukraine, the U.K. and France plan to follow the Finnish example.
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This method could be used in hospitals, nursing homes, at sporting and cultural events.
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The Pirogov Surgical Center in Russia began a project to develop a method for detecting Covid using dogs for Aeroflot.
The airport in Dubai also started using dogs to detect Covid.
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Dogs in France and Lebanon were trained to determine whether a person had Covid by sniffing their armpits.
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It took one dog only 7 minutes to learn what to look for.
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The Veterinary Faculty of the University of Helsinki reported that specially trained service dogs are able to recognize the smell typical of COVID-19 patients with almost 100% accuracy.
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They can detect the presence of the virus several days before the first symptoms appear.
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Warning: these questons and answers are not all representative of the way questions will be asked and answered in the pilot, because some questions are compound and some answers do not include citations.

Q: How long was the trial to have dogs detect Covid at Helsinki Airport?
A: 4 months [d1b70c71-3366-483f-a5de-c168d61ee7a0, 2fa7f836-70c4-4abf-92b1-35a691cd88f4, 22c98ea6-5380-484d-9bfe-be352f0f6a18, ed802a82-b771-48d9-9ee9-d993d4866439]

Q: How many dogs were used?
A: Four dogs of different breeds [d1b70c71-3366-483f-a5de-c168d61ee7a0, 2fa7f836-70c4-4abf-92b1-35a691cd88f4]

Q: What were the dogs trained for?
A: To detect cancer, diabetes, and other diseases [d1b70c71-3366-483f-a5de-c168d61ee7a0, 2fa7f836-70c4-4abf-92b1-35a691cd88f4]A: ; to detect the smell of the virus in sweat samples [2d8fb2e6-9624-4a7d-b0b5-a2bd4e8cf5af, ed802a82-b771-48d9-9ee9-d993d4866439]

Q: How quickly do the dogs learn to detect Covid?
A: It took one dog only 7 minutes [1e18fd13-3bb7-4533-bd21-32a882c5e721]

Q: How was the trial run?
A: International passengers wiped their skin with a tissue, then it was taken to the dog in a special container. [d1b70c71-3366-483f-a5de-c168d61ee7a0, 2fa7f836-70c4-4abf-92b1-35a691cd88f4, 22c98ea6-5380-484d-9bfe-be352f0f6a18, ed802a82-b771-48d9-9ee9-d993d4866439]

Q: How successful were the dogs in detecting Covid?
A: Trained service dogs are able to recognize the smell typical of COVID-19 patients with almost 100% accuracy. [517491b2-ecfa-4928-b2eb-e392ac2c24ac, d84438ab-6249-487a-927f-8a06ce7d6afd, acda3d14-bd4f-4771-b31c-5b4739e7fa08]

Q: How quickly can a dog detect Covid?
A: 10 seconds [2d8fb2e6-9624-4a7d-b0b5-a2bd4e8cf5af, ed802a82-b771-48d9-9ee9-d993d4866439, f61154fc-cd1f-4c04-8d3d-caef5be6dc79]

Q: When in the stages of the disease can the dog detect Covid?
A: As early as 5 days before symptoms develop. [1e18fd13-3bb7-4533-bd21-32a882c5e721]A: Several days before the first symptoms appear. [acda3d14-bd4f-4771-b31c-5b4739e7fa08]

Q: How many passengers were tested?
A: 100 passengers a day. [3095ac10-6751-4cc8-a2fd-9a3a98d47a74]A: As of 6 November 2020, about 2,200 passengers [3095ac10-6751-4cc8-a2fd-9a3a98d47a74]

Q: How much did the trial cost?
A: €300,000 [3095ac10-6751-4cc8-a2fd-9a3a98d47a74]A: ; $390,000 [1e18fd13-3bb7-4533-bd21-32a882c5e721]

Q: Is this trial more or less expensive than other methods?
A: Cheaper than carrying out PCR tests. [3095ac10-6751-4cc8-a2fd-9a3a98d47a74]

Q: Did Helsinki Airport add more dogs, if so how many?
A: Later, 4 dogs per shift were added, a total of 16 dogs. [517491b2-ecfa-4928-b2eb-e392ac2c24ac, d84438ab-6249-487a-927f-8a06ce7d6afd]

Q: What other venues can the dogs be used to detect Covid?
A: Hospitals, nursing homes, at sporting and cultural events. [ed802a82-b771-48d9-9ee9-d993d4866439]

Q: What other countries are considering or have started using dogs to detect Covid?
A: Estonia, [acda3d14-bd4f-4771-b31c-5b4739e7fa08]A: ; Ukraine, the U.K. and France [2d8fb2e6-9624-4a7d-b0b5-a2bd4e8cf5af, f61154fc-cd1f-4c04-8d3d-caef5be6dc79, 30688862-1361-441c-b274-742450663c73]A: ; Russia, the UAE [a4694805-c53a-47b4-89bb-f53c89f72ef2]A: ; France and Lebanon [fba25ed4-fbf0-4104-91b0-086ec6f59738]