British Hospitals Using Blockchain In COVID-19 Vaccination Effort

The recent news is another example of blockchain technology being used to help hospitals keep track of assets with unique storage needs.

Warwickshire, UK., 2021-Jan-29 — /EPR Network/ — Blockchain technology is being used to help NHS hospitals in the UK keep track of COVID-19 vaccines in storage. According to a press release by Everyware — one of the companies behind the tracking technology — this marks the start of a larger program meant to help the vaccine rollout programs in the UK.

The two hospitals that are part of this initial phase of the program have started using a distributed ledger to keep track of the storage conditions of COVID-19 vaccines. Both hospitals are part of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), which is at the center of the country’s efforts to vaccinate its entire population.

Of the three vaccines approved for use in the UK, one of them makes keeping track of storage conditions particularly important. The vaccine developed from the partnership between Pfizer and BioNTech — an American and a German company, respectively — must be stored at incredibly low temperatures in order to stay stable. The vaccine must stay below -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit) while in storage. For reference, the average temperature on the South Pole during the winter is -49ºC (-56ºF).

Once it is no longer frozen, the vaccine is must be used within 5 days in order to still be effective. Which makes it incredibly important for the government to make sure that (a) the vaccine doses were never below the ideal temperature while in storage and (b) the vaccines being given to the public have not gone past their five-day expiration date. And blockchain can help make sure that data is both accurate and tamper-proof.

Decentralized ledgers are used by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in order to keep accurate track of transactions happening in the digital space. The same principle can be used to keep track of the storage conditions of vaccine doses. And by keeping all that data in a blockchain system, it becomes almost impossible to either tamper with or lose that data.

“Monitoring the ongoing temperature of these refrigeration units is critically important, and ensuring the integrity of that data is an equally important part of maintaining trust in the results, and being able to easily share them across the entire vaccine supply chain,” said the technical director of Everyware, Tom Screen.

This blockchain system is currently being used in two NHS hospitals, Stratford Upon Avon and Warwick, both located in central England. The program is a result of the partnership between Everyware, a company that specializes in providing asset-monitoring solutions; and Hedera, a decentralized public network that specializes in building fast and secure digital applications.

These solutions are set to make the vaccination process in the UK both easier and more secure.  So far, the UK has vaccinated over 4 million of its citizens. Government officials have announced that they hope to have over 80% of all citizens over the age of 50 vaccinated by May, alongside other vulnerable groups.

For more information on blockchains and cryptocurrencies in general, visit Comprare Bitcoin.

Source: IV Media.