UK researchers look at dogs' ability to detect virus

British broadcaster Sky News is reporting that a UK trial suggests sniffer dogs could be used to detect the scent of coronavirus in humans, including asymptomatic carriers of the disease.

The Medical Detection Dogs charity says it has so far trained six dogs to detect the odour of the disease on items of clothing worn by infected people.

Sky News spoke on Monday to James Logan, a professor at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who said preliminary findings suggest a 94% success rate.

The trial has reached proof of concept and the next step is to test the dogs in real-world conditions, Logan said.

Claire Guest, the chief scientific officer at Medical Detection Dogs, said the canines "could make a huge difference" in how people are screened for the virus.

"Two dogs could screen 300 individuals in half an hour as they got off, say, an aircraft," Guest said.