FIU's detector dogs sniff out COVID at Miami International Airport

A first-of-its-kind program in the U.S. is taking off at Florida’s busiest airport. 

Two COVID-19 certified detector dogs, Cobra and OneBetta, have been deployed at Miami International Airport. The dogs were trained to sniff out the virus with protocols developed by the Global Forensic and Justice Center (GFJC) at FIU. 

Backed by decades of science, the dogs can detect the virus with 97.5 percent accuracy as demonstrated in a published double blind study. 

The dogs are screening employees. And they have already had positive alerts. If a dog alerts, the person is directed to take a rapid COVID-19 test for confirmation. 

Next stop for Cobra and OneBetta: PortMiami and Miami-Dade’s Government Center.