Bring on the dogs

Doing a covid test is something most people by now have done. The rapid test at home that you don’t quite believe and the gold standard PCR test which unfortunately takes a bit longer to get the result. The biggest concern for most people is that covid can be spread by travellers. Now, as a traveller I think I am just as likely to get covid in the local supermarket (or at the next hockey game) but I do understand the concern about the spread of covid – even though right now it seems some people are more concerned about getting monkey pox. The problem is that all the testing (even random) takes up time and makes your trip that much longer.

So how about bringing on the hounds? A new study in the UK have shown that dogs can detect covid as explained in Travel Life magazine

The research, which involved 4,000 volunteers, concluded that COVID-19 does indeed have an odour and, so, can be easily detected by dogs. In fact, during the research, the dogs used in the study were able to distinguish between positive and negative odour samples with a sensitivity up to 94 per cent and specificity up to 92 per cent.

And dogs are way quicker – being able to check out 300 passengers an hour – because let’s face it. Something’s got to be done about the long waits at airports and if this can replace some of that form filling then I am in favour. What is amazing is that the dogs can detect the difference between a cold and covid. That’s a good thing because you can imagine what it would be like going through an airport with a cold or a cough.

Also, most people love dogs and I know you are not supposed to pet or stroke work dogs but I would much prefer a dog checking me out than a customs official. Just something about those guys that makes me feel guilty right away as if I am hiding a bad case of covid, a dose of TB and a dozen fresh sausages in my backpack.

I think it is far more civilised than the current covid testing. Whether you have it at the back of the nose or the back of the throat you are bound to come away from the test with tears in your eyes and an everlasting tickle in your throat.

But protecting ourselves against covid is important and first prize goes to these lovely ladies of Halifax who were handing out protective kits to the party people of the area. Each packet contained a covid rapid test and a condom.