JPMorgan Blockchain Spin-Off Kadena Releases Blockchain-Based App that Verifies Coronavirus Tests

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been more than 9 million COVID-19 cases around the world and over 473,000 deaths as of press time. In light of the recent global crisis, the most important and highly anticipated medical milestone in the world today is the discovery of the COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 testing remains one of the most stressed medical lab procedures today; pressurized with an unanticipated virus that threw our world into a pandemic. Some businesses are looking at integrating emerging technologies such as blockchain to fight the coronavirus.

Magic of the modern ages: Kadena

Kadena LLC, JPMorgan's blockchain spin-off, provides an independent blockchain network, that could be used to run coronavirus tests. Kadena was the first blockchain company to come out of JP Morgan's Blockchain Center for Excellence and announced the full launch of its public blockchain in January 2020.

The company’s distributed app (Dapp) will be used to confirm the authenticity of coronavirus tests by using QR codes to track the kits from the manufacturer to the healthcare provider. The medical personnel can then use the QR code, the test kit information, and the patient's test results to create a patient’s record. This record can be stored on Kadena’s blockchain which can be accessed anywhere. 

In addition to ensuring data integrity, the Kadena App will also help researchers, academics, and government officials to understand the demographics of the spread of the disease. The Dapp is already available on Kadena's testnet, and users with no prior knowledge of blockchain technology can use the app, developers who want to access the data stored on it can do so as well without using Kadena's tokens or wallet.

Towards a COVID-19 free world

With the alarming rate of new cases, technological advancements have been emerging to help governments to detect new and record new cases. Chinese President Xi Jinping previously suggested that the fight against the new virus has highlighted the need for a better governance mechanism, suggesting blockchain technology should be integrated into the existing system to gain better insights into social circumstances.

The Public Health Blockchain Consortium (PHBC) has announced the launch of a monitoring blockchain aimed to verify communities and workplaces that are free from the coronavirus COVID-19, as well as other high-risk viruses, bacteria, and fungi. The Consortium consists of health authorities, universities, healthcare providers, and innovators who aim to collect and store anonymous health data on the blockchain, to improve the lives of people in the world. The blockchain monitor would help identify safe zones where there have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus.