Covid-19 sniffer dogs being trained

Available for over a year

Doctors and patients say they have noticed a distinctive smell when someone is infected with Covid-19. And now scientists in the UK are asking people who are being tested for the virus to wear a t-shirt, mask and socks - and then send them back in the post to help train special sniffer dogs. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine hope that dogs can learn to spot Covid-19 – as well as conditions like Parkinson’s Disease and some cancers. In our weekly Covid roundup: India has overtaken the USA in the greatest number of Covid cases per day; an international survey indicates that three quarters of people would be happy to be given a Covid vaccine once it’s available. Our studio guest, New Scientist magazine’s Clare Wilson, talks about face masks and Covid, the eradication of wild polio in Africa, how tricky it is to lose those few extra pounds gained during lockdown – and how mindfulness doesn’t help everyone who tries it. As students around the world return to their studies, one American university is testing them all every few days for the coronavirus. Boston University (Claudia teaches psychology students at their London base) has re-purposed some of its labs to carry out 6,000 Covid tests a day. They already quarantined some students on campus who tested positive. Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath (Picture: A medical detection dog training. Photo credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images.)