COVID-19: encouraging results in Swiss blockchain health certificate trial

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, September 1 2020 -- Results from a trial of Switzerland’s Health n Go blockchain health certificate app are encouraging. They prove that if health certificates are required in the future, they can be digitally delivered securely and remotely whilst also respecting the privacy of individuals. 

Health n Go, the secure mobile app for health certificates from the ELCA group, teamed up with the Swiss laboratory network Medisupport and Matisa, a Swiss railway equipment manufacturer, to trial the app with a group of Matisa employees.

The pilot ran in early July at Matisa’s production site in Crissier. Each user downloaded the Health n Go app onto their mobile phone and presented it to the health professional carrying out their coronavirus test. After scanning the app’s QR code, the health professional checked the person’s identity, took the nose and throat swabs and scanned in the test sample code. 

The sample was then sent to a Medisupport laboratory for testing. The result was issued as a digital encrypted health certificate which appeared in the employee’s Health n Go wallet on their phone. Matisa staff could then open the app and show their digital health certificate when requested. It was also possible to check the certificate’s QR code with a scanner, checking both the person’s identity and their coronavirus test result.

The trial was a success with everyone receiving their digital health certificates. For Matisa, whose technicians frequently travel abroad for work, it proved to them that the app could be used to allow coronavirus-free staff to continue to travel if restrictions at border entries were introduced.

This type of certificate is compelling for individuals who need to travel frequently for work in areas where a certain type of vaccine is required (e.g., yellow fever), or to access facilities requiring health certification. It may also be useful for certifying seasonal influenza vaccination.

The app can also be used by diagnostic laboratories who offer direct access health testing. Over recent months, more laboratories are having direct relationships with the public as they bypass health professionals with home testing kits. The Health n Go app provides a solution for securely delivering health certificates through smartphones from the laboratory to the user.

A proven platform

Launched in May 2020, Health n Go was developed entirely in Switzerland. The app is built on the TIXnGO architecture. A subsidiary of leading Swiss IT service provider ELCA, TIXnGO is already proven to be technically effective at distributing at scale tickets for live events. The platform uses blockchain technology to securely distribute tickets, most recently for major sporting events run by both global and European sports organisations, including football tickets on behalf of UEFA. All the information is exclusively held in a secure wallet on the smartphone. The decentralized model offers users the highest level of privacy as no personal information is shared, it is owned and controlled by the individual.

Frédéric Longatte, CEO of TIXnGO and Health n Go, said: “This trial was a proof of concept test to show that the Health n GO app worked in a business environment. We’re delighted with the results. If in the future, providing proof of health becomes the norm, we’re ready and able to scale this up to meet the needs of both business and wider society.”

Natascha Buckmann, Project Manager at Medisupport, said: “The trial went very well. From our side it was quick and easy to set up and execute, and for those being tested, the process was clear and simple. When compared to a print health certificate or even an SMS, the app is much more secure. We are convinced that if health certificates are required in the future, Health n Go is a good and safe solution.”

 The Health n Go solution is designed to securely issue digital health certificates from an official authority, such as a doctor or health organization. Each time a health certificate is issued on the platform, a unique, encrypted and verifiable identity is associated with it. Individuals keep their health certificates in a digital wallet on their smartphone, which can be displayed on demand and the QR code can be read by a scanner. The wallet owner remains the sole proprietor of the encrypted data, which is stored in a fully decentralized and tamperproof manner.

Thanks to artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, this system guarantees effective protection against any attempt at certificate fraud. The unique identity of each certificate minimizes the risk of duplication or counterfeiting. The system monitors the types of fraud attempts that could lead to the revocation of a certificate, if necessary. The solution can be hosted on a national private or public cloud and is GDPR compliant to address health data requirements.

Several pilots of Health n Go are taking place with Swiss and European companies.

Ends

Editors notes

Health n Go is a blockchain mobile application offering secure management of digital health certificates. Leveraging the latest technologies in mobile, blockchain and AI machine learning, it is a sister company of TIXnGO, a leading secure mobile ticketing platform. TIXnGO has been referenced by Gartner (The Real Business of Blockchain, Harvard Business Review, 2019). Health n Go is a subsidiary of Swiss systems integrator ELCA and is headquartered in Lausanne. For more information, visit https://www.tixngo.io/healthngo