The Chinese University of Hong Kong has partnered with Ethereum developer ConsenSys to launch the Medoxie COVID-19 Digital Health Passport. Blockchain-based, this new product could help healthcare workers combat the pandemic.
The passport utilizes blockchain technology to record a patient’s COVID-19-related events — including test results, temperature checks and vaccinations — to provide a safe pathway to full economic reopening post-pandemic. Information held on the passport is said to be stored securely and privately.
Initially, the digital passport will be accessed by medical professionals and academics within Hong Kong’s healthcare industry, paving the way for a new mobile app that will be extended to patients later on. The passport infrastructure has been built using ConsenSys Quorum and Codefi Orchestrate.
Dr. Arafet Ben Makhlouf, senior technical architect at ConsenSys, explained how the passport could help Hong Kong and other regions transition back to normal life following the multi-year pandemic:
ConsenSys has been the recipient of major investments in recent years, culminating in a $65 million raise in April led by banking giants JPMorgan Chase, Mastercard and UBS.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong has been exploring the use of blockchain technology for several years. During the height of the pandemic in early 2020, a university professor claimed that blockchain technology could help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The pandemic has infected more than 176.3 million people globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. Nearly 2.4 billion vaccine doses have been distributed.