09/15/2021 6:28 AM
Clarín.com
Travels
Updated 9/15/2021 6:28 AM
"Cobra" and "One-Betta", the two protagonists of the
first program with dogs
trained to
detect covid-19
in an airport in the United States, showed in Miami how they discover the presence of the virus that causes the pandemic.
According to Kenneth G. Furton, head of the entity that was in charge of training the dogs, the
International Forensic Research Institute
(IFRI) of Florida International University (FIU), "Cobra" and "One Betta "They can detect covid-19 with a
level of reliability of 97.5%
, higher than that of some laboratory or pharmaceutical tests.
The two dogs, a shepherd from Mechelen (Belgium) and another Dutch shepherd, are the protagonists of a
pilot program
that takes place for 30 days at the entrance of employees of the American Airlines terminal at Miami International Airport (MIA ).
Pilot program with errors that detect Covid at Miami International Airport.
Photo: Miami International Airport
Furton indicated that another 30-day test program is planned to be carried out at the Miami-Dade County Government headquarters and another in the Port of Miami and later, and based on the results obtained, the authorities will decide what to do. They give COVID-19 detector dogs.
In the
test
witnessed by the Efe news agency, American Airlines workers who volunteered to do so circulated through a corridor between two separation screens that reached their waist and stopped at the points marked for it.
There they took off their masks and held them with their hand above the separation screen to their right, so that one of the dogs led by a trainer could sniff them.
Chinstrap travelers at Miami airport.
Photo David Santiago / Miami Herald via AP
If the dog sits ...
When the dog sits down after sniffing a mask, it
means that it detected covid-19
and if it passes by, there is no presence of coronavirus, explained a trainer.
During the demonstration, the dogs, who alternate
between 30-minute work
sessions, did not detect covid-19 in any of the workers who circulated through the corridors.
American Airlines does not force its workers to be vaccinated against covid-19 and neither to take this test before entering the workplace, although most agreed to take it to see "Cobra" and "One-Betta" in action.
In the event that COVID-19 had been detected, the person in question would have been taken to the airport infirmary and subjected to a COVID-19 test to confirm whether they actually had the disease.
We've officially let the dogs out and become the 1️⃣st US airport to test COVID-sniffing canines 🐶.
These furry friends are part of a pilot program with our partners @FIU, and are assigned to an employee checkpoint in Concourse D 📍.
📰: https://t.co/3UUXoCLPv8 pic.twitter.com/MnFKuNO1Q9
- Miami Int'l Airport (@iflymia) September 8, 2021
Furton indicated that the great advantage of using dogs to detect COVID-19 in areas where large numbers of people are concentrated is the
speed with which they can track the virus
.
He also stressed that in dogs that are already trained to detect fire, explosives or drugs, it only takes a maximum of three weeks to train them to detect covid-19.
If the dog is a novice, it may take about three months.
"Cobra" and "One-Betta" were previously trained to detect a pest that is causing extensive damage to avocado plantations in Florida.
To train them in the detection of COVID-19, they
used chinstraps from patients
, previously sterilized with ultraviolet rays, which were provided by hospitals in Miami, said Furton, who has been working with dogs for 25 years and has achieved the first certification for a canine detection team. of the covid-19.
EFE
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