MARCH, 20249Blockchain Technology and COVID-19There has been a concern that the millions of dollars being donated for the public are not being put to use where needed.With the help of blockchain capabilities, donors can see where funds are most urgently required and can track their donations until they are provided with a verification that their contributions have been received to the victims. Blockchain would enable transparency for the general public to understand how their donations have been used and its progress. Crisis ManagementBlockchain could also manage crisis situation. It could instantly alert the public about the Coronavirus by global institutes like the World Health Organization (WHO) using smart contracts concept.Not only it can alert, but Blockchain could also enable to provide governments with recommendations about how to contain the virus. It could offer a secure platform where all the concerning authorities such as governments, medical professionals, media, health organizations, media, and others can update each other about the situation and prevent it from worsening further. Securing Medical Supply ChainsBlockchain has already proven its success stories as a supply chain management tool in various industries; similarly, #Blockchain could also be beneficial in tracking and tracing medical supply chains. Blockchain-based platforms can be useful in reviewing, recording, and tracking of demand, supplies, and logistics of epidemic prevention materials. As supply chains involve multiple parties, the entire process of record and verification is tamper-proof by every party, while also allowing anyone to track the process.This technology could help streamline medical supply-chains, ensuring that doctors and patients have access to the tools whenever they need them, and restraining contaminated items from reaching stores. WHO and Blockchain TechnologyThe World Health Organization (WHO) is working with blockchain and other tech companies on a program to help convey data about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, named #MiPasa.The program is a distributed ledger technology (DLT) that will hopefully help with early detection of the virus and identifying carriers and hotspots.MiPasa is built on top of Hyperledger Fabric in partnership with IBM, computer firm Oracle, enterprise blockchain platform HACERA and IT corporation Microsoft. It purports to be "fully private" and share information between need-to-know organizations like state authorities and health officials.Described by creators as "an information highway," MiPasa cross-references siloed location data with health information. It promises to protect patient privacy and to help monitor local and global trends such as the virus that has now sent the world spiraling into chaos and uncertainty in recent weeks.The U.S., European, and Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Hong Kong Department of Health, the Government of Canada and China's National Health Commission have all worked with the project. Ahmed Banafa, Faculty, San Jose, CA
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