on the crypto
The Public Health Blockchain Consortium has announced the launch of VirusBlockchain.com, a project that intends to track down those communities that have not been affected by the new coronavirus to make sure they continue to stay away from the infection.
What is VirusBlockchain.com
The Public Health Blockchain Consortium (PHBC) announced on Thursday the launch of VirusBlockchain.com, a new blockchain that aims to trace and follow those communities that remain far from the infection of viruses and high-risk diseases such as COVID-19, bacteria and mushrooms.
According to the dedicated website, "PHBC is a consortium of health authorities, universities, healthcare professionals and innovators who are committed to securely collect, store and analyze anonymous health data on blockchain medical records linked to PHBC in order to eradicate diseases and improve the lives of people around the world. "
However, no specific partner is clearly named on the site. PHBC has stated that it is open to welcoming new participants, all of whom are invited to join the blockchain.
The consortium will present the results of the communities that will be kept under observation and of the places to which the work will refer in a conference next year.
VirusBlockchain will presumably use certificates from security organizations and government agencies that are monitoring cases to "automatically identify areas" as communities and businesses believed to be free from infectious diseases.
All of this “by integrating real-time information provided by virus surveillance service providers using“ Artificial Intelligence (AI) Geographical Information Systems (GIS) ”. This information would later be entered into a blockchain.
What is the Safe Zone status
"The communities and places where work will focus will be able to maintain this safe zone status if they restrict access to anonymously identified people and only allow movement to and from other safe areas," said Ayon Hazra, CEO of Qlikchain, which will manage the blockchain.
Hazra continued: "Unlike traditional infectious disease surveillance that focuses on infected people, this is a system that instead monitors the movement of uninfected people in order to limit their return if they have passed through areas known to be infected." .
A consortium press release added that people who "entered an infected area must remain in a quarantine area before being allowed to return to a safe area." Such a system is similar to the way citizens across the world are asked to quarantine themselves when they have been in contact with potentially infected people.
What remains to be clarified
However, one of the less clear points of this project is how it can track "anonymously identified people", which is a fundamental aspect for this strategy to remain adequately respectful of the fundamental principles of decentralized registers.
Nor is it clear whether governments have expressed interest in adopting this instrument. Hazra made no further comment on these issues.
