Indian Researchers Present ‘VaCoChain’ For Vaccine Distribution

In a significant development to mitigate the risks associated with unforeseen pandemics, a team of researchers from Nirma University of Technology, India has presented ‘VaCoChain’ as a solution to ease vaccine distribution systems. The newly proposed strategy was published by Ashwin Verma and his colleagues in the IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics on August 13. With VaCoChain, authorities will be able to streamline the vaccination drive, which became a huge problem during the COVID-19 vaccine circulation.

According to the report, the VaCoChain vaccine distribution scheme will play a significant role in reducing irregularities witnessed during COVID-19. The system will run on a decentralized distributed ledger technology called blockchain that powers cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. Along with blockchain, VaCoChain will infuse unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs that employ fifth-generation communication technology. 

The paper mentioned that the scheme provides 5G-tactile internet-powered services for UAV communication channels administered via ground controller stations. This will facilitate efficient vaccine distribution in a well-phased manner through government-decided nodal centers. The system will reduce round-trip time lags from warehouses devoted to vaccine production. 

One striking feature of VaCoChain is that it will reduce human interference and ensure timely vaccine delivery to nodal centers. Authorities can improve documentation of vaccinated persons in a secured and transparent manner with the help of blockchain. The use of smart contracts for data storage will help the government to prioritize vaccination for people based on various factors. 

The researchers claimed that the new vaccine distribution scheme will aid the management of vaccines for governments across the globe. This will help to ensure the maximum expansion of the vaccination drive especially during a time when new variants of the COVID-19 virus are constantly emerging. It will be fruitful in administering vaccination functions in future pandemic outbreaks too. The system will pace up the transportation of vaccines to ensure speedy distribution and thus aid in controlling the spread of infections to people with ease.