VXPASS, a blockchain-based vaccine verification and validation platform, has confirmed on May 11 that it has entered into an agreement with the public-private partnership Sesiu sa Tšoele le beta Poho Fund (SESIU), which is in charge of administering COVID-19 vaccinations for the entire Kingdom of Lesotho. Under the agreement, VXPASS will manage and record data from the first 560,000 vaccinations administered by SESIU, with plans to fully vaccinate 1.2 million Lesotho citizens by the end of the year. Being able to use vaccines on blockchain is an opportunity to begin the digital transformation of the small African nation amidst the current coronavirus pandemic.

“The risk posed to Lesotho by the COVID-19 pandemic is immense for the country’s 2.3 million citizens. At the same time, with some imagination and innovation, there is also scope for new opportunities to emerge. It is my strong belief that VXPASS and Lesotho’s blockchain-based approach to managing our vaccine program will demonstrate the level of digital innovation evident in our country and help us take the lead with this technology across the African continent,” Dr. Catherine Lephoto, former deputy CEO for core operations of and current advisor to the National COVID-19 Secretariat (NACOSEC) in Lesotho, commented about the partnership.

The public blockchain provides transparent, secure and clean data that allows for a more efficient and convenient way for government organizations to monitor national vaccination rollout, with data being updated in real time. On top of this, citizens hold their vaccination records in their hands through the VXPASS mobile app, which also makes it easy to input personal information required for the vaccine. This kind of system also relieves some of the burden off of healthcare professionals when it comes to manually recording and keeping track of vaccinations.

“It is our firm belief that good data is key for a successful vaccination rollout, particularly considering the scale of both the effort and investment required. By using VXPASS, the Kingdom of Lesotho is ensuring from the outset that all data generated and captured is not only of the highest quality, but that it is publicly available on the blockchain in real time—ensuring the utmost levels of transparency, validity, personal control and ultimately, confidence on this road to recovery,” VXPASS founder Zachary Weiner said.

Because VXPASS is built on the Bitcoin SV (BSV) blockchain, it can easily accommodate the massive amount of data that will be generated from completing the vaccine course of more than two million citizens. The BSV blockchain has restored the original Bitcoin protocol, allowing for it to have a stable protocol—much like the Internet protocol—upon which developers can build their applications on without any worry if it can handle big data due to its infinitely scalable network. And as BSV continues to scale, it can handle bigger data at prices that become increasingly cheaper.

"When blockchain technology is allowed to demonstrate its full-spectrum of capabilities beyond just enabling digital currency, it illustrates the game-changing potential that blockchain offers for enterprises and governments – and ultimately, society as a whole. The BSV blockchain, which powers VXPASS, is uniquely situated to meet the requirements of government and enterprise projects of this scale and offers truly ground-breaking technology to help countries advance their digital transformation – which is a top priority in Africa. Born out of a global pandemic, VXPASS represents a significant opportunity for the Kingdom of Lesotho to show the world the tangible benefits that blockchain technology offers today, as well as new data integrity and efficiencies created along the way,” Bitcoin Association Founding President Jimmy Nguyen explained. Bitcoin Association is a Switzerland-based global industry organization pushing for the global use of the BSV blockchain.

Vaccines on blockchain is an innovation that the world needs to take advantage of. Blockchain technology is the future. Where the Internet made it possible for the current online world, blockchain will create a fully on-chain future.