UAE: Trained Dogs, Great Accuracy For COVID-19 Detection!
A world-first study has been successfully undertaken by the Federal Customs Authority (FCA) and the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) to deploy trained dogs for Covid-19 detection. A joint task force comprising experts, researchers and specialists representing HCT and the FCA K9 Unit was the first scientific study to detect the presence of coronavirus by the use of customs K9 sniffer dogs.
The three-phase study revealed a high rate of accuracy in the detection of coronavirus-infected patients by dogs from the Customs K9 Unit from a sample of 1,000 participants within two seconds at Covid-19 screening centers. The final results showed a correlation of 98 per cent between the results of the PCR test and the dogs’ detections. Ali Saeed Mattar Al Nayadi, Commissioner of Customs and Chairman of the FCA, said the success of the study reflects the authority’s keenness to play an effective role in the protection of society and the enhancement of security and stability.
He added the study also highlighted the authority’s aim to implement the UAE leadership’s directives in confronting the effects and implications during the Covid-19 pandemic, in line with the UAE Vision 2021 and UAE Centennial 2071, the aim of which is to establish a safe and prosperous society on the medical, social and economic fronts. He stressed that this achievement will pave the way for future use of K9 sniffer dogs in addressing the risks and effects of natural and health disasters; and in detecting viruses, narcotics and hazardous materials.
He pointed out that using K9 sniffer dogs to detect the Coronavirus will save effort and time and reduce the pressure Training of sniffer dogs for high-speed sampling from the armpits of presumed cases was part of the first phase of the research. The training was carried out on the basis of international practices on over 500 samples. Samples were sniffed out by the dogs without coming into contact with the people during the second phase, or K9 test, followed by a PCR test on the same participants. The third stage included a comparison of the results performed in medical laboratories between the sniffing of the dogs within two seconds and the PCR results.
