03-30-2020 icon

World Health Organization Launches Blockchain Platform to fight COVID-19

By Sagetwriter

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced partnership with major blockchain and tech companies – IBM, Oracle, Hacera, and Microsoft to launch a distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform for sharing data concerning the coronavirus pandemic.

The new platform dubbed “MiPasa“, is developed on the Hyperledger Fabric, and seeks to foster early detection of COVID-19 carriers and infection areas.

According to the WHO, the blockchain platform will facilitate “fully private COVID-19 information highway” to streamline and allow sharing of authenticated data between individuals, state authorities and health agencies.

A description on the MiPasa website reads:

“MiPasa can help monitor and foresee local and global epidemiological trends and detect likely asymptomatic carriers by feeding big data on infection routes and occurrences to powerful AI processors around the world.”

At this time, the MiPasa project is supported by other national health agencies such as the United States, European and Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the government of Canada, China’s National Health Commission, and the Hong Kong Department of Health.

Coronavirus and Blockchain Technology

This is not the first blockchain application aimed at curbing the spread if the Coronavirus (COVID-19); as a number of platforms have been developed by other organizations.

Notably, cryptocurrency firm IOST launched a blockchain-based “Charity Disclosure Platform to ensure transparency in the activities of charity organizations involved with the pandemic.

In the UAE, its Ministry of Community Development adopted a blockchain ID verification system to allow citizens engage with the government and agency from their homes in times of isolation.

For other use cases, South Korea’s Pohang University of Technology also offered to issue diplomas on the blockchain to prevent students from convening in ceremony halls which could further escalate the spread of the virus.

Across the industry, blockchain and crypto enthusiasts believe that both digital currency and tech would serve humanity better, and save possible contamination through fiat currency or manual face-to-face processes; highlighting the interest by the U.S. to introduce a DLT-based digital dollar in response to the pandemic.