UAE to use dogs to sniff out virus cases at major events, competitions

UAE to use dogs to sniff out virus cases at major events, competitions

As part of its efforts to support frontline healthcare staff, the UAE Ministry of Interior (MOI) has recently introduced a mobile unit of K9 trained police dogs to detect presumed COVID-19 cases. Detection of potential cases is done without direct contact between dogs and individuals. The unit will be used at major field events and competitions. People at the events will be required to give armpit swab sample to the unit which will then be presented to the dogs in a special tool kit inside a mobile vehicle. The dogs will smell out the COVID-19 positive samples if any in a matter of few seconds. A mobile unit of K9 trained police dogs will be present at the events sites as an additional line of support of the efforts of the organising and health committees. The new achievement comes after the successful practical use of police dogs all over the UAE airports as an additional defence line in detecting presumed COVID-19 cases. "The scenario of the coronavirus reaching multiple countries, if not all countries around the world, is something we have been looking at and warning against since quite a while." Health Minister Hamad Hassan told a news conference the