K9's dogs detect Covid in our players
KV Oostende and K9 Detection recently started to use detection dogs to detect covid-19 at an earlier stage. The results are quite spectacular: an infected player was identified much faster by the dog than by a traditional PCR test with cotton swabs. Now we have to wait until this method is officially recognized.
KVO has been working with K9 Detection for years in the field of security and surveillance. Recently both parties set up the pilot project with the detection dogs. Every week the players place sterile wipes under the armpit. Then the wipes go to K9 Detection in Bredene, where the dogs do their job. And the results are quite spectacular. "There were players who tested negative with the traditional PCR test, but were positive with us, According to Johan Weckhuyzen of K9. "Eight or nine days later, they turned out to be positive after all. At KV Oostende they were shocked: if they had followed our result, the infected player would have been put in quarantine earlier and the virus would not have spread further in the group of players. So our way is very efficient, fast and costs a lot less.
Another major advantage of this system is of course its user-friendliness. The people tested do not get a cotton bud stuffed up their nose anymore.
"I can tell you that it is not very pleasant to get a cotton bud in your nose once or twice a week. It is easier to stick a cotton ball under your armpit for ten minutes. Moreover, our findings show that the dogs often detect the virus in an earlier stage and the test itself is also done faster. So these tests can certainly prove their worth in the short term. I have two dogs myself and I know how good those animals smell, " So says trainer Alexander Blessin.
Dogs are already being used in Finland and the United Arab Emirates to search airports for Covid-19. According to COO Thorsten Theys the use of dogs must be seriously investigated. "Every possibility to reopen our lives, we must seize. It is a feasible method to, for example, allow fans back into the stadium. To let a few thousand people do a PCR test before they are allowed to come to the football: that is financially and practically not possible. The tests with the dogs can make it a bit easier. At KVO we are delighted that we are taking the lead together with K9 and are thus a trendsetter. How fantastic would it be if, thanks to this system, we could play the play-offs with an audience?
