Firefighters in Corsica are conducting trials to see if dogs could detect the COVID-19 virus in infected people.
ADVERTISEMENTDogs in Corsica are being trained by the emergency services to try to detect people who may be infected with coronavirus.
Firefighters in Ajaccio are doing this by using sweat samples from COVID-19 patients who've agreed to be part of the trial.
Corporal Mar Anto Costa, a firefighter based in Ajaccio, said: "Dogs are known for their capacity to recognise other diseases including cancers, such as breast and prostate cancers and even diabetes, although it has not been officially proven.
"What remains to be proven is whether the COVID-19 molecule emits a particular odour."
The samples are placed in particular places to see if the dogs can then detect them.
Brice Leva, another Coriscan firefighter, said:
"It's simply a plastic tube by which the smell is placed, leaving the smell-emitting molecules. And then, with these plastic tubes, we train the dogs."
If this test is successful and the results are confirmed, it would allow rapid and massive screening of the population.