China’s second-largest courier services provider – SF Express – is contemplating the use of blockchain technology for the movement of critical supplies during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This, according to a report by Global Times, March 30, 2020.

Blockchain to Keep Track of Essential Medical Supplies

In a bid to make the supply chain of essential medical supplies more transparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, one of China’s largest courier service providers, SF Express, is set to deploy distributed ledger technology (DLT) and big data-based solutions. Per the Shenzhen-based courier service firm, blockchain technology’s immutability and transparent features can help bring a degree of transparency in the supply chain mechanism of essential medical products.

The courier service said that it is exploring the use of blockchain technology for tracking the origin and ensuring the quality of medical goods being supplied to the needy hospitals and healthcare facilities. Per sources close to the matter, the service will be able to track, verify, and record each transaction in the logistics process, and identify the priority level of each order.

The announcement adds that SF Express has already started the use of DLT for various purposes including the transportation of products and increasingly high standards which include medicines and food.

The report reads in part:

“In addition to blockchain, SF Express is also reportedly using big data to build a trackable logistics network, which will be able to effectively identify supply priority levels and minimize the risk of fake and unqualified products entering the market. New technologies such as blockchain, data tracking and artificial intelligence (AI) are ensuring supplies of emergency products and helping the frontline medical workers control the disease.”

In a similar vein, Chinese e-commerce behemoth, Alibaba Group has also upped its efforts to control the disastrous impact of the deadly COVID-19 virus. The firm has deployed several diagnostic systems backed by artificial intelligence (AI) to improve diagnostic efficiency on the frontline.

Can Blockchain Be the Silver Bullet for the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Today, the world finds itself in a rare situation where every nation has come together to beat the common enemy – the COVID-19 virus. In that regard, BTCManager reported on March 29, 2020, how IBM’s blockchain arm is powering the MiPasa COVID-19 data project.