Dogs inspect Miami International employees for Covid-19

Before going to work, dozens of employees at Miami International Airport were sniffed by a pair of specially trained dogs that can detect COVID-19.

So far, the pilot project launched last month has detected a pair of cases and will be extended until October and could be expanded to other key facilities.

Cobra, a Belgian Malinois, and One Betta, a Dutch Shepherd, inspect staff at a checkpoint where employees are required to remove masks and hang them in front of either dog. Dogs sit down to signal if they detect an odor produced by volatile organic compounds common to people infected with Covid-19. Dogs are 97.5% accurate in detecting the virus, Dr. Kenneth Furton, president and executive vice president of Florida International University, said at a press conference last week.

Cobra and One Betta work Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daytime.

So far, the dogs have detected two cases. One employee has tested positive; the other was recovering from Covid-19.

After a successful start, the program was extended until the end of October, giving us more time to collect valuable data on the accuracy and effectiveness of the COVID-19 detector dog program, Furton told the Miami Herald by email. Because he appears to live well with this virus for a while, these dogs are an effective way to add further protection against the coronavirus.

If the dogs report Covid-19, the employee would take a quick COVID test and, if positive, would be asked to leave and self-quarantine according to CDC guidelines.

The pilot project was launched the last week of August thanks to a partnership between the Miami-Dade Department of Aviation, the Global Forensic and Justice Center and Florida International University. Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 9 Kionne McGhee sponsored a 30-day program earlier this year; The Miami-Dade County Council of Commissioners approved the plans in March 2021. It is the first U.S. airport to use Covid-19 detector dogs, according to Chin.

After October, Furton said, the dogs will be stationed at the PortMiami and Government Center in downtown Miami.

Pure and mixed races are suitable for detecting Covid-19, Furton said at a press conference this month. Dogs with no experience require between two and three months of training. Some come with previous experience, such as Cobra which has been trained to detect bay leaf wilt, a fatal disease common to avocado trees. These dogs only need two to three weeks to learn to detect a new scent.

Miami Heat fans might recognize the dogs. Cobra and One Betta inspected visitors to the FTX Arena alongside two other dogs for Heat games from late January through April. The Heat has ended the Covid sniffer program given the wide availability of vaccines and rising vaccination rates.