Blockchain-based Use Cases for Covid-19
In this section, we provide a comprehensive literature review on the
prominent blockchain-based uses cases for combating the COVID-19
pandemic. Blockchain technology is capable of enhancing the healthcare
sector in various areas which are affected by this outbreak including
improvements to clinical trials, managing supply chain operations,
tracking donations etc. The potential uses cases are summarized in Fig.
2.
Clinical Trial Management
Every product should be thoroughly tested to demonstrate its safety and
efficiency as well as note possible side effects in a clinical trial, to
bring new medications and medical devices into the market. Clinical
Trials mainly take places in four phases out of which Phase III trials
incorporate the greatest number of participants or patients making them
challenging and resource-demanding. For clinical trials to operate
efficiently, they require a management system which is fair and
transparent. Besides taking care of the considerable amount of
information collected from each phase, the clinical protocol should be
cost-proficient, regulatory compliant, auditable, safe, fast and
transparent to all stakeholders in the network . The use of digital
technologies and innovations can help ensure the safety and privacy of
participants while reducing trial timelines. In particular, blockchain
technology can aid researchers and clinicians in recording clinical data
in real-time. This improves accuracy, encourages data sharing and
ensures regulatory compliance . It can also track and keep tally of who
has accessed which part of the datasets thus creating an audit trail
that improves privacy and data security .
Civitas, an app launched by a Canadian start-up that engages in
blockchain solutions, assists various government officials and local
authorities in controlling the COVID-19 outbreak. This app can be
beneficial in managing clinical trials related to COVID-19 as it
associates each person’s ID with its corresponding blockchain records
anonymously without disclosing their identity. It can find out whether a
person has left his home or not. This is essential as it helps in
minimizing the spread of this virus. In addition, it can allow doctors
to track the progress of their patients and monitor their symptoms for
any side effects. In return, these doctors can send them their report
with regards to the medication procedure that is to be followed.
Medical Supply Chain
The COVID-19 emergency has caused significant interruptions across
worldwide supply chains. Two predominant factors that play a vicious
job: numerous factories closed because of safety and hygienic concerns
and there is an unparalleled demand for specific products, in
particular, PPE and medical supplies. Many users are pressured to secure
supplies from unknown origins or quality due to the increased demand.
Lengthy supply chains cause excessive obscurity which makes it hard to
calculate and plan supply. Blockchain is the best option for supply
chains as it can connect all stakeholders into one supply chain network
universal source while showing transparency and being able to securely
break down data silos. Therefore, huge numbers of the blockchain
arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic are in supply chain management
. Blockchain accelerates the validation procedure by expelling third
party delegates and innate delays in handling and processing operations.
The advantages include quicker handling and processing time, reduced
costs, lower operational risks, and faster settlements for all parties
included. The VeChain platform is ensuring that new KN95 masks imported
from China are credible and reliable while working inseparably with
production offices and facilities . From codes to packages, materials,
all tasks related to vaccine production are noted and kept in allocated
ledgers.
User Privacy Protection
In these troublesome times, the balance must be obtained between data
collection and privacy assurance. Blockchain can be utilized to collect
and examine patient data more productively, screen patients’ movements
to ensure the necessary social distancing requirements while protecting
their identity simultaneously. There is no focal power and clients are
given control of their information in a blockchain platform. They can
specifically share data that is significant for coronavirus relief
efforts while ensuring their privacy and identity remains protected. In
addition to this, governments and healthcare associations can increase
data collection through coronavirus tracking, while clients can be
guaranteed that their data will not be exposed or shared. A group of
privacy specialists across Europe devised a blockchain-based framework
for COVID-19 contact tracing utilizing Bluetooth. Moreover, German tech
scale-up MYNXG has made a blockchain-based arrangement that uses cell
phones while safeguarding client security .
Data Aggregation
To effectively respond to the pandemic, a key territory of opportunity
is in the assortment, accumulation, and access to information necessary
for the tracking of the infection, deciphering trends and administering
research. Blockchain provides the possibility of guaranteeing data
accuracy by its capability to verify and store immutable real-time data.
The framework of Blockchain acts as a base for new developing researches
while permitting organizations and associations to share their
information with innovators, scientists, and researchers to test and
incorporate this information into new devices and solutions. Utilizing a
blockchain-fueled platform empowers compliance management, data
proprietorship, and auditability to grant flexible sharing all through
different managerial levels. MiPasa, worldwide scale control and
correspondence system controlled by blockchain innovation, which assists
with gathering, collating, and studying data about the virus’s spread
and containment was launched by WHO while collaborating with significant
innovation organizations and governments. MiPasa is an asset that has
expectations to help the public health officials, the scientific and
business network, and people in general .
Contact Tracing
Contact tracing helps avoid the spread of a virus through pro-actively
identifying, advising, and, where necessary, quarantining individuals
who are at a higher risk than others. Using this tracing technique is
useful and smartphones aid in making the system more effective only if
privacy and other issues are addressed. Governments and healthcare
organizations engage in contact tracing activities to monitor patients.
However, using blockchain at every step increases the accuracy and
reliability of data collected. Blockchain technology can monitor patient
movements and offer updates related to affected areas in real-time.
Furthermore, it can be used to detect virus-free zones to inform the
public about safe areas. Remember that this information can be obtained
from monitoring providers using a combination of technologies such as AI
and geographical information systems (GIS). Blockchain can, therefore,
offer practical approaches to protect populations from the spread of the
virus by complying with quarantine standards.
Coalition is a free app in the US that users can monitor themselves if
they are sick . Other users are notified of potential interactions with
an infected person and are encouraged to provide proper health
follow-up. The solution uses Bluetooth-enabled cryptography technology
to track meetings and generate anonymous random IDs to protect the
identity of the user with all data locally saved on a user’s phone. In
Europe, Africa, and Asia, similar solutions were explored. Also, the
Public Health Blockchain Consortium (PHBC) announced the launch of a
blockchain for systematic tracking, continuous and adequate monitoring
in virus-free zones to ensure that an infected person does not enter
this area .
Donation Tracking
The pandemic situation has presented severe hardships to humanity, to
alleviate the challenges several philanthropists have donated products
and financial aid, the entire donation process that comprises of
warehousing, logistics and distribution can be stored in the blockchain.
Using this technology, the donor can verify the transfer process and
receipt of donated money precisely and transparently. Consequently,
blockchain will eliminate intermediaries, save costs, minimize donation
exploitation and boost social cohesion. Motivating donation practices
helps to aid people facing medical or economic difficulties due to the
spread of infectious diseases . Hyperchain is a blockchain-based network
that aims to counter the coronavirus outbreak by specializing in
uniquely tracking donations . This platform assists governments and
healthcare organizations in the donation process for infected victims.
This network ensures the donation process remains unchangeable,
efficient and traceable. It provides a transparent platform that allows
donors to monitor where their funds were used. Through presenting proof
of need and evidence of receipt, the blockchain charity platform ensures
that the donations reach intended groups directly without
intermediaries.
Outbreak Tracking
Blockchain removes the need for outsiders because of its
decentralization feature, which can substantially reduce the occurrence
of data modification and fictitious news and increase the reliability of
information for the general population and experts in healthcare.
Fraudulent data contributes to chaos and causes economic damage and
psychological distress. Therefore, storing news and facts on a
blockchain database prevents its modification and makes it traceable;
thereby making it easier to avoid fake data and information. Blockchain
technology provides a suitable coronavirus tracking platform as data
handled through such a network is reliable, accurate, tamper-free and
transparent. Consequently, governments can update better on the status
of coronavirus pandemic for improved planning and management, such as
forecasting the outbreak, isolating possible territories, and tracking
the spread of the infection. Acoer has created a HashLog dashboard from
an ever-growing set of public data that allows individuals to understand
the extent of infection spread and pattern over time . Moreover,
information collected from the CDC, WHO and even trends from social
networking websites help the Acoer Coronavirus HashLog to make data
visualization models associated with clinical trial data .
In this paper, we focus on using blockchain technology to prevent the
spread of false information. This particular use case is important as
there has been a sudden flood of various social platforms claiming
misinformation. Thus, there is a need to authenticate and monitor this
information. Also, it is vital to track the source of the message to
identify users who are in engaged in spreading conspiracy theories,
rumours, inflammatory remarks and fake news. Thus, it is highly
recommended to use a public blockchain platform in validating the
messages as it enables all users to digitally sign their message before
it gets added to the blocks making it easier to identify the source of
information.