Three European Union data experts, Guardtime, SICPA, and OpenHealth, are developing a blockchain-backed coronavirus passport that will register and store users coronavirus health status in real-time which will aid proper management and control of the pandemic
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is the most profound in some specific countries of the world including the United States of America, Italy, Spain, France and other EU countries. The impact can be easily analyzed when some specific industries like the traveling and transportation industries are brought into focus. While these industries suffer in terms of reduced patronage, the health systems of almost all countries are overburdened in terms of the continuous influx of patients and victims of the coronavirus disease. In determining the future model for preventing the second wave of this pandemic, three EU data experts, Guardtime, SICPA, OpenHealth, are developing a coronavirus passport that will be supported on the blockchain for privacy.
European Health System Response to Coronavirus
The European Union is living up to its expectations in effectively tackling the coronavirus pandemic through aids extended to member countries as well as solidarity shown to other governments of the world. In the words of Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Union:
“We must look out for each other, we must pull each other through this. Because if there is one thing that is more contagious than this virus, it is love and compassion. And in the face of adversity, the people of Europe are showing how strong that can be.”
Under President Ursula, the European Union has raised EUR 7.4 billion for universal access to vaccines, set up a humanitarian Air Bridge to access critical areas of the world and involved in other novel humanitarian donations around the world. The E.U response is serving as a springboard to the birth of many other researchers that are working to employ technology in the fight against COVID-19.
Blockchain-based Coronavirus Passport
The blockchain-based coronavirus passport will help governments to monitor the population’s state of immunity in real-time. The blockchain will run on the KSI blockchain developed Estonian blockchain company Guardtime, French-based health platform OpenHealth and Swiss security company SICPA are also joint partners working on the project. The blockchain passport system will not run on any central database and users will need only their smartphones to sign up thus anonymizing all personal data. With the blockchain passport, users’ coronavirus test results will be updated and timestamped and updated in real-time if declared positive to prevent result falsification.
Privacy in Check
The project developers promised anonymity of users’ data, while these claim can be backed by the cryptographic nature of the blockchain system, stakeholders fear that government may be too exposed to people’s private health data. These firms working on this project have all been involved in several projects for their governments which further reaffirms their competencies but the promise and fulfillment of anonymity can only be reviewed when the passport goes live and fully in use.
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