Algorand launches the first blockchain powered digital passport to track COVID-19 Vaccination programmes in Latin America. Colombia is the first country to get this service. However, it will spread to other Latin American countries in the very near future.
This blockchain based digital passport, Vitalpass, built on the Algorand network guarantees security, traceability, and transparency in managing COVID- 19 vaccination programmes. Several parties including Algorand, La Casita Roja, Auna, Cardioinfantil Foundation and Koibax partnered to develop a blockchain-based COVID-19 vaccination and patients tracking system.
This system became operational this month, May 2021, in the cities of Medellin, Barranquilla and Bogotá in Colombia. Any Covid-19 vaccinated individual gets a digital copy of their vaccination card, which is accessed on an internet connected device. They also get the validation of the IPS of an accredited healthcare provider.
Thus, the digital certificate which Algorand and Koibanx develop is verifiable and easily accessible. Also, the system is very simple to implement, with a few steps to follow.
A person who visits a designated healthcare centre gives the vaccinator an email address. In return, the vaccinator completes a relevant form and assigns the individual a username. In the end, the person gets a digital certificate, registered on the Algorand blockchain through a user interface designed by Koibanx, on the same day.
The certificate is a passport-like document linked to a vaccine verification code on the blockchain. Essentially, an individual can access the vaccination record and details through a simple QR code. The system uses two codes to differentiate the first dosage from the second one. A yellow mark imprinted on the certificate shows the first dosage while a green one indicates the second dosage.
Andrés Vasquez, the Director of Innovation at Health-Tech at Auna Ideas said:
“We are committed to innovation, renewing and reinventing ourselves with the purpose of transforming health care. During the difficult times brought by the pandemic, teamwork has given us the strength to continue innovating in the care of more people’s lives. So, for this project, we joined with Davivienda, Koibanx and Algorand – the best in their fields – to deliver greater security to the vaccination process for Covid-19, and to restore hope and tranquillity for more people.”
On the other hand, Edy Weber, CEO of Koibanx commented on the importance of the blockchain in our lives when he said:
“We hope this will help fight the health crisis in Colombia and show one of the many values this technology offers.”
This is not the first time that Auna Ideas and Davivienda cooperated to help their communities. In 2020 they collaborated to develop a technological solution based on artificial intelligence which diagnosed people, testing their Covid 19 status. The technology called “Doctor Julia” can diagnose up to 450 cases within 5 minutes.
Therefore, such partnerships and developments do not only give hope to residents of Latin America, but to people around the world.
