Video: UAE using police dogs to detect coronavirus in seconds

Abu Dhabi - Trained dogs are being deployed at country's airports to sniff samples from passengers' armpits to see if they have Covid-19.

The UAE has realised a new achievement as part of its continuous efforts and preventive and precautionary measures it put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19 and ensure the safety of the community.
The country has announced the successful practical use of police dogs all over the UAE's airports as an additional way of detecting presumed Covid-19 cases.
In this regard, the UAE is considered the first country in the world to put this method into action, which is still being researched and at a training stage in other countries.
The UAE experiment and its protocols are unique in avoiding any direct contact between the dogs and the people under examination according to the highest standards of health precautionary measures.

Practical application follows essential studies and meetings, in addition to brainstorming workshops and cooperation with a number of countries and experts. Discussions and theoretical studies on using dogs in detecting Covid-19 cases were instigated given the animals' strong sense of smell. For this reason, they can be used in police patrols and involved in securing malls, events, airports and other vital facilities.
The specialised teams from the national team are being deployed at the country's airports to check samples taken from the armpit of those coming to the country without direct contact with the dog. The trained dog can in seconds determine whether a person is infected or not with the coronavirus.
This is considered an additional measure that enhances the security and safety of passengers at airport in line with the gradual return and opening of more international airports and an increasing number of flights.
The UAE is taking pioneering steps through rapid checks, other precautionary measures, and the use of police dogs and modern technologies.