You could help a team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in a trial to determine whether dogs could be used as a quick, non-invasive diagnostic tool for coronavirus.
Researchers require samples for these super sniffers to carry out their work, and that’s where you can lend a hand.
Volunteers are needed to provide samples of breath and body odour by wearing a mask for three hours, and nylon socks and a t-shirt for twelve hours. The team aims to collect 325 positive and 675 negative samples. These will be used to train six dogs to identify the virus from compounds in the odour.
You can take part in the study if you are:
- Due to have a coronavirus swab test or have had a swab test conducted in the previous 72 hours;
- Have suspected mild COVID-19 symptoms, or have been exposed to COVID-19, or have received results of a positive COVID-19 swab test conducted in the previous 72 hours, or are a current NHS staff member or currently living with an NHS staff member;
- Aged 16 years old or older;
- Willing and able to wear a face mask for at least 3 hours, and nylon socks and a shirt for 12 hours.
For more details on how you can volunteer or support us, please call 0207 927 2777 or email coviddogs@lshtm.ac.uk.