Dubai Police using sniffer dogs to detect COVID-19 patients

Dubai Police will start using trained K9 dogs to detect COVI-19 patients.

Ministry of Interior officers in the United Arab Emirates have successfully completed trials in Dubai, involving the use of K9 police sniffer dogs in detecting COVID-19 patients as part of preventive and precautionary measures aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus.

The use of sniffer dogs comes after successful completion of practical experiments and scientific studies which authorities hope to use in the UAE, especially at its airports and ports.

Experiments carried out in Dubai and the rest of the UAE has relied on high-speed sampling from the armpits of presumed cases. They were conducted at field hospitals in Dubai on volunteers.

The Dubai police force necessary precautionary measures to protect both K9 police dogs and their trainers, experiments were based on two methods; the first method involved the dog’s routine detection work, while the second indirect method is carried out when the dog sniffs out a sample odour from a positive COVID-19 cause.

“Samples are then sniffed out by the dogs without coming in contact with the persons, while results become known on the spot. K9 police dogs are also used traditionally in securing and monitoring events and sensitive facilities,” the Ministry of Interior said in a statement.

Results from the experiment indicate that dogs can quickly detect infected cases, help protect key sites, effectively deal with huge crowds and secure large events, airports and Dubai’s Malls.

“Data and studies showed that detection of presumed COVID-19 cases achieved approximately 92 percent in overall accuracy,” the Ministry of Interior further added.

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