Empirical Analysis of COVID Vaccine Supply Chain Using Block Chain: A Case Study in India

One of the most effective ways to overcome the devastating effects of coronavirus is mass vaccination and henceforth achieving herd immunity. However, the major hurdles in this mission are the various bottlenecks in the Indian vaccine supply chain such as substandard or counterfeit vaccine vials, delays in vaccine transportation, discrepancies in records, etc. Hence, it is vital to enhance the efficiency and reliability of the vaccine supply chain and eliminate these bottlenecks. This study attempts to resolve these issues in the vaccine supply chain by proposing a framework to integrate the new age technology, blockchain into the existing supply chain mechanism, thereby introducing the elements of security, transparency, and reliability. The framework comprises three steps. First, immutable beneficiary registration on the blockchain which eliminates record tampering. Second, a vaccine monitoring mechanism to keep a check on the vaccine flow chain and its surrounding conditions using smart contracts. Third, the administration mechanism of the vaccine supply chain for identity verifications and secure and efficient inoculation. The proposed model reduces the manual component in the supply chain functioning and builds upon the existing technologies in place to improve the robustness and eliminate unauthorized interference.