Finland to deploy coronavirus-sniffing dogs at Helsinki AirportSeptember 23, 2020 - 17:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Dogs arrived at Finland’s Helsinki Airport on Tuesday, September 22 for their first day of work checking travelers for Covid-19 as part of a new pilot program which—if it’s as successful as preliminary research suggests—could present a widely employable method of coronavirus detection, Forbes reports. Multiple studies have indicated that trained dogs are able to successfully discriminate between infected and non-infected human saliva or urine samples, with German researchers finding dogs could determine Covid-19 with 94% accuracy within a week of training. The Helsinki Airport is now putting these findings to the test through a trial run with 16 canines who will deliver results within 10 seconds, Anna Hielm-Björkman, a researcher at the University of Helsinki who is gathering data on the trial, told The Washington Post. Travelers who agree to the screening will swab their own necks to produce a sweat sample which will be passed to dogs through an opening in a wall in a process that should take less than one minute. Those checked by the dogs will then be encouraged to take a standard test to verify the accuracy of the determination. The dogs were trained by Wise Nose, a Finnish agency that specializes in smell detection, and per a report from The Independent, at least one dog was able to learn to identify the smell in just seven minutes. Hielm-Björkman pointed out that, according to preliminary tests, the dogs may be more effective at detecting Covid-19 than polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and antibody tests, and are able to detect when a person will become PCR positive a week before the test can. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. |