Amid all efforts being made in the production of an effective vaccine to contain the spread of deadly coronavirus pandemic, researchers have found a different method to track down individuals with COVID-19.
The traditional way of detecting coronavirus is by collecting the swab of an individual and later testing it to determine whether a person is positive or negative for the virus. And now, researchers in France have found that dogs could help to detect people with coronavirus by sniffing a human armpit.
Human being's furry friends could do magic
Researchers, during their study, found that canines could be between 75 and 100 per cent effective at detecting COVID-19 with their noses. In the study report, researchers revealed that the usage of dogs could help with COVID aid in various parts of the globe without expensive infrastructure and mass testing programs.
Moreover, dogs can be used anywhere, and a simple sweat sample from the armpit of the individual could help to determine whether he or she is infected with the coronavirus.
"The results are good and I'm happy, really happy. It is a success technically and scientifically and it's surprising because we didn't know what we were going to have as results. We have been validated by the World Health Organization and they have given us a bit of money which is good," said Professor Dominique Grandjean, from the National Veterinary School of Alfort, France, in a recent statement.
The development of COVID-19 direct-to-consumer test kit
In the meantime, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized LabCorp's Pixel COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit which will help people to test coronavirus at home without a prescription. The kit is available for all individuals aged above 18 years.
The kit developed by Labcorp is the first COVID-19 direct-to-consumer test available for individuals without the requirement of a prescription. Using this test kit, people can collect their nasal swab themselves, and can later send it to Labcorp for evaluation.
