The Chinese University of Hong Kong and ConsenSys create COVID-19 digital passport

Published at: June 15, 2021

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:

“This COVID-19 blockchain passport uses trusted blockchain technology to protect user data, making it verifiable and secure. We are proud to support the Chinese University of Hong Kong with its efforts to apply innovative technologies to help health sectors and communities proactively respond to COVID-19 and transition back to life as normal.”

Related: ConsenSys and Securosys launch new long-term Ether staking protocol.

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.

Tags
Business
Hong Kong
Health
Developers
Consensys
Universities
Related Posts
ConsenSys Spins Off Health Division to Tackle Healthcare Issues
ConsenSys, the Ethereum-focused company founded by Joseph Lubin, announced on Feb. 25 that it will spin off its health division. The new ConsenSys Health company will develop blockchain use cases to tackle issues in the U.S. healthcare industry. The announcement is part of ConsenSys’ strategy shift of favoring products such as Codefi and Infura, which led the company to spin out several internal projects into independent entities. ConsenSys Health focuses on applying blockchain to the health industry, citing issues such as rising costs and access to care as some of the areas where blockchain can contribute. Co-founder of Ethereum (ETH) …
United States / Feb. 25, 2020
Canadian University Offers Graduate Training in Blockchain Tech
Canadian-based University of British Columbia (UBC) has announced a blockchain and distributed ledger technology training program for master’s and PhD students. UBC announced the development in a press release on June 11. The training path is reportedly designed to build competency around blockchain tech, and is focused on its application in four public benefit areas: health and wellness, clean energy, regulatory technology and Indigenous issues. UBC says they hope to train 139 students over a six-year period, and graduates should have the tools to evaluate blockchain solutions as well as identify opportunities for blockchain implementation. Canadian national non-profit research organization …
Technology / June 11, 2019
Southeast Asian financial institutions turn to the Ethereum blockchain
Blockchain innovation is surging throughout Southeast Asia, as the region is home to a number of fintech firms and global crypto companies. In particular, Singapore has become one of the world’s most crypto-friendly countries. This was recently highlighted in a report conducted by crypto exchange Gemini, which found that 67% of 4,348 respondents currently own crypto. The report further noted that Ether (ETH) is the most popular cryptocurrency in the region, with 78% of surveyors claiming to own the digital asset. Interestingly enough, the Ethereum blockchain may also be the network of choice for financial institutions based in Southeast Asia. …
Adoption / Nov. 22, 2021
ConsenSys raises $450M in Series D funding, doubles valuation in four months
On Tuesday, ConsenSys, the leading Ethereum (ETH) and decentralized protocols software company with product suites such as MetaMask, Infura, and Truffle, announced the close of a $450 million Series D funding round led by ParaFi Capital. Notable new investors included Temasek, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Microsoft, Anthos Capital, Sound Ventures, and C Ventures. The deal more than doubles its valuation since the firm's $200 million Series C raise in November 2021. Proceeds from the round will in part be converted to ETH to rebalance the ratio of ETH to USD-equivalents in ConsenSys' treasury. The firm actively seeks to use its …
Adoption / March 15, 2022
Blockchain-based solutions aim to address US disaster relief
Natural disasters in the United States are becoming more prevalent, resulting in increasing costs, a lack of transparency between state and government organizations, and a slew of other issues impacting relief systems. The Pew Research Center found that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) public assistance program spent 23% more on natural disasters between 2010 and 2019 than it did from 2000 to 2009. Data from Climate.gov further shows that 2021 was the third-costliest year in history for natural disasters in the U.S., totaling over $145 billion in damages from 20 weather-related incidents. But as disasters become more common and …
Decentralization / July 14, 2022