Covid-sniffing dogs led by volunteers will soon be screening Bangkok communities, as the capital battles record daily cases in Thailand’s third wave of infections.

Minister of Social Development and Human Security Juti Krairiksh said volunteers were being sent to the sniffer-dog project at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Veterinary Science.

The project team has trained six Labrador retrievers to sniff out Covid-19 in human sweat.

Dr Kewali Chatdarong, Chula’s deputy dean for research and innovation, said the project utilised the dogs’ sense of smell – which is 50 times greater than that of humans – to detect infection in humans.

The project was conducted by placing cotton wool and socks into cans for dogs to sniff. The dogs were successfully trained to sit when they detected Covid-19 in sweat on the fabric. The Labradors were found to have an accuracy of 94.8 per cent in detecting asymptomatic patients. The dogs will be used to complement normal screening operations.

Juti said at least two ministry volunteers will be sent to each of Bangkok’s 50 districts, where they will train others to conduct sniffer-dog screening operations. The dogs will offer an alternative, speedy method to testing for Covid-19, especially when it comes to screening bedridden patients.

THE NATION (THAILAND)/ASIA NEWS NETWORK