How Blockchain Can Assist in Tracking Pandemics
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected and destroyed thousands of people around the globe and has prompted countries to adopt emergency steps. By today, nearly the whole planet is conducting social distancing, and individuals are locking themselves up in their houses. Governments are utilizing advanced technology such as data science, artificial intelligence, and Blockchain to tackle this problem.
Blockchain is being utilized by many governments for healthcare IT infrastructure, handling patient records, and exchanging knowledge. Researchers are already finding Blockchain as an effective method in improving the current healthcare infrastructure and avoiding potential pandemics. Any technique more than just Blockchain in the tracking or tracing of epidemics looks like a waste of time.
The Role of Blockchain in Pandemic Prevention
Most nations are unable to fight COVID-19 owing to the gaps in their healthcare programs. Lack of data storage, data protection, and sharing and weak monitoring mechanisms – these problems can be addressed utilizing Blockchain Technology.
1.Tracking Infections
As all medical data surveillance and storage will increase transparency among various departments, this will result in more accurate reporting. Better reporting, in turn, will lead to a speedier collection of health data. It will help doctors and scientists to monitor infections until they turn into an epidemic.
Using Blockchain, scientists will effectively trace the sources of the virus. They will study a patient’s diagnosis, rehabilitation, and track data in real-time. It will greatly assist in monitoring the transfer and evaluating the present scenario.
2.Data Management
Because a large volume of medical evidence is being generated due to COVID-19 contamination, information needs to be processed and monitored properly. Blockchain can be used to manage medical information, protect its credibility, and even manage real-time data. This should support scientists through data processing.
With Blockchain, you can simplify data collection. Patient privacy will be maintained as Blockchain stores data in ledgers, and they are protected against unauthorized access. Data such as patient descriptions, procedures, and results may be processed. This data will be made accessible for all specialty physicians and will aid in care, evaluation, and study towards finding a vaccine.
3.Spreading Awareness
Blockchain ledgers are permanent, and they can only be changed when parties that have built it grant permission. Therefore, critical health details can be stored here. Any transition can be traced back to its roots. Such evidence – such as the overall number of fatalities and estimated affected patients – should be made accessible to the media. This would enable the government to raise information and introduce prevention steps. As steps such as social distancing need participation from the public, this move would help policy entities achieve the necessary public support.
4.Healthcare Surveillance
Blockchain will be used to build a decentralized security network that does not rely on any central authority. This would make exchanging and publishing of data simpler. Both local and national authorities may provide access to surveillance info. Doctors, government agencies, healthcare officials, testing centers and morgues can all contribute to this surveillance data ledger.
With this, people will act as nodes on the Blockchain. When the device hits an epidemic level, it can transmit alerts to all the nodes. So, preventive methods should be applied beforehand.
