UAE Begins Using Police Dogs To Detect COVID-19 Among Travelers - Interior Ministry

The United Arab Emirates has begun to use police dogs to detect coronavirus in patients, a video released by the Interior Ministry on Wednesday showed

DOHA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2020) The United Arab Emirates has begun to use police dogs to detect coronavirus in patients, a video released by the Interior Ministry on Wednesday showed.

The dogs are trained to identify the virus with a high degree of accuracy from sweat samples, the demonstration video claimed.

"The UAE is at the forefront in this area. We are one of the first countries to implement this project and train dogs to detect COVID-19. It is an extra line of defense added to the defense lines already in place across UAE's airports and points of entry," Interior Ministry Representative Hamad al-Hammadi said.

According to the video, entrants will be asked to provide armpit samples in a tube that will be placed in one of a line of containers that the dog will smell and point out. The scientific validity of this method is yet to be determined.

Dubai authorities allowed foreign tourists to enter the emirate from July 7 if they have a certificate showing a negative coronavirus test.

According to the Ministry of Health of the UAE, more than 53,000 cases of the disease have been registered in the country since the beginning of the pandemic, 327 people died, 42,282 recovered.