How quick is the quickest coronavirus test?
Just ten seconds - when a dog does the test.
Researchers from the University of Helsinki in Finland have been trialing a new method of detecting coronavirus carriers, testing arrivals at the city's airport, The New York Times reports. Travelers are offered a chance to participate in the study and if they agree, they are given a wipe to collect sweat from their necks. The dogs then sniff the wipes and within seconds, either a positive or a negative result is obtained. Those passengers who test positive are then directed to the airport's health center for a free coronavirus test.
Anna Hielm-Bjorkman, a researcher at the University of Helsinki who is monitoring the trial, reported that the dogs are even capable of sniffing out the virus in asymptomatic carriers, and at an earlier stage of infection than the popular PCR test is capable of detecting.
A similar trial conducted in Germany in July showed similarly impressive results, but that test used saliva samples. Researchers from the University of Hannover reported that the dogs' success rate for detecting positive samples was as high as 94%.
Finnish scientist have estimated that the country would need around 1,000 trained dogs in order to protect Finland's schools, malls, and retirement homes - not an impossible challenge to overcome.