New Areas of Blockchain Technology Applications During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

The article is devoted to the analysis of new directions of application of blockchain technology that have emerged in the conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic, generalization of existing experience in using blockchain and definition of tasks for blockchain technology development. The paper analyzes the properties of blockchain technology, manifested in the created systems, which can solve several management problems in the process of combating the Covid-19 pandemic. The article describes the Covid-19 pandemic fight and their possible actions. The paper provides analysis and systematization of new areas of blockchain application, such as tracking contact with infected people, verification of vaccine authenticity, maintaining of the clinical trial data integrity, identifying counterfeit medicines and personal protective equipment, identifying foci of infection. The authors describe examples of specific solutions, showed that the blockchain technology can play an innovative role in solving a few problems that appeared during the pandemic. The existing limitations are revealed both in the blockchain technology itself and in the conditions of its application, which do not allow to fully realize the full potential of the technology. The description of new areas of application of blockchain technology is important both for the organizers of the COVID-19 pandemic response, and for researchers and developers of systems using blockchain technology. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.