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Finland deploys coronavirus-sniffing dogs at main airport

Officials at the main airport in Finland’s capital are using dogs to trace coronavirus patients.

Officials at the main airport in Finland’s capital are using dogs to trace coronavirus patients.

The pilot project began at Helsinki’s airport earlier this week. A team of 15 dogs are being trained for the job. They detect coronavirus by sniffing passenger samples. A passenger swipes their neck with a gauze, puts it in a can handed over to another room. There, a dog starts sniffing it to deliver an immediate result. Researchers say the project looks promising. Researchers say a dog can detect the presence of the coronavirus within ten seconds.

They say dogs are a good choice for the job, because they are not easily infected.

Finland is the first European country to put dogs to work sniffing out Covid-19.