Indian Army training dogs, including indigenous breeds, to detect COVID-19

Colonel Surender Saini, who has been training the dogs to sniff out coronavirus, has said that “based on sample data tested till now, (the dogs’) sensitivity is over 95 percent”.

Moneycontrol News

February 09, 2021 / 22:54 IST

Indian Army dogs trained to detect COVID-19

The Indian Army has trained dogs, including one of the indigenous breeds Chippiparai, to detect COVID-19 using sweat and urine samples.

Indian Army Labradors and Chippiparais are being trained to detect COVID-19 using urine samples, and Cocker Spaniels on sweat samples, the Indian Army said on February 9.
Dogs can sniff COVID-19 infection before symptoms set in, research suggests

Colonel Surender Saini, who has been training the dogs to sniff out coronavirus, has said that “based on sample data tested till now, (the dogs’) sensitivity is over 95 percent”.

The Indian Army Colonel added: “We have conducted trials and operationally deployed dogs. Detection is (being done in) real-time. Dogs do not get infected as samples used (urine and sweat) are sterile and do not contain the virus. It only contains a volatile metabolic biomarker which is the signature of COVID-19.”

#WATCH | Delhi: Indian Army dogs have been trained for real-time detection of COVID19. Cocker Spaniel named Casper seen participating in a live demonstration. Jaya and Mani, two dogs of indigenous breed Chippiparai, were also present. pic.twitter.com/18YdHX9Xfw
— ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2021

In many other countries too, such as Britain, France, Germany, Finland, Lebanon, Russia, and UAE, dogs are being trained to detect COVID-19 by screening passengers arriving at airports and railway stations.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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