In 2020, members of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus sent a letter to then-President Donald Trump and the heads of agencies involved in solutions to pandemic problems encouraging them to consider blockchain as a tool to manage the response to the coronavirus.
How was this possible? Simple, blockchain can facilitate processes to authenticate the identity of individuals receiving funds or supplies, better manage supplies, and approve certifications and licenses for healthcare providers. In addition, professionals advocated developing a coordinated strategy that leverages this technology to facilitate aid to those affected by the pandemic.
On the other hand, improving healthcare funding for Alaskan Indians and Americans and Native Americans wanted to be addressed through blockchain. As this funding is often discretionary, many tribal governments rely on grants and third-party revenue. Small tribes, however, have "too few funds and staff to apply for grants, resulting in a reduction in revenue of up to 80%," according to blockchain researchers at Diplomatic Courier.
Social Alienation
To control the spread of COVID-19 by person-to-person contact, these researchers developed a blockchain-based system in 2020 that would limit the number of people who gather indoors.
According to the Journal of Medical Systems, the authors explained how citizens could participate in a mobile app with this same technology that would give them "movement passes" that would allow them to enter public spaces for a set amount of time.
On the other hand, governments could use it to restrict the number of passes in certain places and times of the day, allowing access only to those with the active invitation.
Blockchain technology eventually accommodated geographic, biometric, financial, and health data, and at one point was considered the basis for "immunity certificates," the authors wrote.
