CW Innovation Awards: Fighting fake Covid-19 vaccines with blockchain

Fake Covid-19 vaccines distributed by unscrupulous criminals have made their way into the global market in recent months, underscoring the importance of verifying the provenance and authenticity of vaccines.

Earlier this year, South African authorities seized hundreds of fake Covid-19 vaccines following a global alert issued by Interpol, warning that vaccines would be a prime target for criminal networks.

About 2,400 doses of the fake vaccine were found at a warehouse in Germiston, a small city in South Africa, where officers also recovered a large quantity of fake 3M masks and arrested three Chinese nationals and a Zambian national.

In China, the local police identified a network selling counterfeit Covid-19 vaccines, raided the manufacturing premises, resulting in the arrest of some 80 suspects, and seized more than 3,000 fake vaccines on the scene.

To nip the problem in the bud, Zuellig Pharma, a healthcare service provider in Asia, has developed a blockchain-based vaccine management system called eZVax that helps governments and healthcare providers manage all aspects of vaccine distribution and administration.

Developed together with Accenture and built with Microsoft technology, it features Zuellig Pharma’s proprietary blockchain-based eZTracker platform that lets healthcare professionals and patients check the quality of a vaccine and its authenticity by scanning a barcode on a vaccine vial. eZTracker has been in use in Hong Kong, Thailand and the Philippines since April 2020.

In addition, governments can use eZVax, which helped Zuellig Pharma win the healthcare category in the Computer Weekly Innovation Awards APAC, to monitor vaccination progress, track vaccine movements across sites, simulate changes in demand and supply and use real-time data to make decisions on opening additional vaccination sites.

As each vaccine must be stored and distributed at their required temperature, this full traceability provides the assurance of quality and integrity of supply. Efficient stock allocation is ensured through automated ordering and replenishments, reverse logistics and waste management.

Individuals can also use the eZVax citizen services app to keep track of their vaccination journey from registration to completion, schedule vaccination sessions, complete their eligibility checks and health declarations, set up vaccination reminders and access proof of vaccination.

On security safeguards, Zuellig Pharma said the system is protected by a cyber security framework to secure critical personal and logistical information, noting that this will promote an orderly and effective vaccination of the population while setting up proactive defences against cyber attacks.

Tom Vanmolkot, executive vice-president for distribution and client services at Zuellig Pharma, noted that as more Covid-19 vaccines are approved, each having their own unique requirements, it is crucial to address the challenges that will drive vaccination uptake.

“Apart from proper storage and transport, giving people the confidence to get vaccinated is vital to achieve herd immunity,” he said. “Collaboration is key to address this unprecedented challenge; combining our in-market cold chain expertise and our proven blockchain solution with the resources of leading tech companies will help us support governments to overcome these issues in the communities we serve.”