Dogs are being trained to sniff out coronavirus - here’s how it works

A medical charity has announced that it now believes dogs could be able to smell coronavirus.

Medical Detection Dogs, a charity that currently aids Parkinson’s disease, diabetes detection and cancer research, has claimed dogs' ability to “detect subtle changes in temperature of the skin” could help determine if someone has a fever.

The charity, based outside Milton Keynes, hopes this discovery will soon be used to halt the spread of the virus by providing a speedy and non-invasive diagnosis.

How soon could the dogs be used?

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Durham University has been working alongside the charity, and the consensus is that dogs could be trained to detect the virus within a mere six weeks.

In a video statement uploaded to the charity’s Twitter page today (Mar 27), Dr Claire Guest, CEO and Co-Founder, said, “We are looking into this very carefully. We’ve approached the government and we are in collaboration with many individuals who have a huge understanding of viruses. Watch this space. I really do hope we will be able to do something with our wonderful dogs to save lives.”

In an earlier statement, Dr Guest said, “The aim is that dogs will be able to screen anyone, including those who are asymptomatic, and tell us whether they need to be tested. This would be fast, effective and non-invasive and make sure the limited NHS testing resources are only used where they are really needed.”