“ The Biggest Data Puzzle of Our Lives ” — Vaccine Distribution Effort Gets Help from Big Tech

“It’s the biggest data puzzle of our lives,” requiring collaboration between tech companies and with federal and state authorities, Jason Kelley, general manager of blockchain services at IBM, told MarketWatch. “It’s a team sport.”

For technology, vaccine distribution presents an opportunity and a challenge. The industry sees a chance to hone its credentials while responding to an urgent societal need, amid criticism for not pursuing great projects that profoundly improve people’s lives. But ambitious deployment comes with many risks, as illustrated by potential security holes in open access systems, sloppy planning, and some fraudulent accounts.

In Florida, which reported nearly 15,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, online ticketing service Eventbrite Inc. EB is working with counties to help plan vaccination for Floridians 65 and older as the state is struggling with serpentine lines, confusion and disappointment. Some fake Eventbrite accounts have emerged, however, a worrying development for the future of the use of these services for vaccine distribution.

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“Our team investigated and found no evidence that vaccine registration events were created for malicious purposes,” the Eventbrite spokesperson told MarketWatch. “The unofficial event listings we found, some of which charge a fee, are likely the result of user error, where people mistakenly create new event listings instead of signing up. at a time slot. “

What the technology does is no small feat. US Digital Response, an organization that pairs tech-savvy volunteers with state and local governments in need of technical assistance, outlined eight key areas for COVID-19 vaccine providers, including confirming patient eligibility , communication of data to a State’s immunization information system and vaccine inventory management.

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“Technical control of a state or a county takes time. It takes an engineering eye to know which vendor to use for a project, ”Raphael Lee, USDR’s health program director, told MarketWatch. His organization helped the city of Seattle and King County find a vendor, Solv, to set up test sites.

In recent days, a wide range of companies have presented their vaccine-related plans.

IBM offers supply chain management software and open blockchain technology to governments and private companies to record and authenticate the temperature and handling of each vaccine dose. The IT giant is also expanding the availability of IBM Digital Health Pass, the company’s new health passport app, with help from Salesforce.com Inc. CRM,
+ 1.10%
to help organizations verify an individual’s immunization status and other relevant health certificates.

In addition to its partnership with IBM, Salesforce is partnering with the global immunization agency Gavi on its project to distribute the vaccine fairly in 190 countries. Salesforce is also part of a project with the MTX consultant for Chicago to manage vaccine distribution.

Read: How to get your family members to take the COVID-19 vaccine

Google GOOGL from Alphabet Inc.,
+ 0.15%

GOOG,
+ 0.08%
says its cloud unit has expanded its response to the pandemic to help with intelligence and vaccine delivery, and that it is working alongside partners to deploy vaccine management solutions with state and local governments.

“Google Cloud has expanded our response to the pandemic to help with vaccine intelligence, and we are working alongside partners to deploy vaccine management solutions with state and local governments,” said a spokesperson for Google. “Google is helping connect people with great information and resources on COVID-19, including vaccines, and we’re working on additional products and features to help get people the right information at the right time. . “

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Oracle Corp. ORCL,
-0.54%
gave the federal government a national database of electronic health records and public health management applications that can be used to track who has been vaccinated and who may have potential side effects. Oracle intends to bring similar systems to Africa by partnering with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

Microsoft Corp. MSFT,
+ 0.68%
works with Ernst & Young and others on vaccine management efforts powered by Microsoft’s cloud and commercial services. The end-to-end solution allows the vaccine manufacturing and distribution process to be managed in real time. The EY vaccine management solution is built on Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365, Power BI and Power Platform, according to Microsoft.

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Uber Technologies Inc. UBER,
+ 0.56%
and Lyft Inc. LYFT,
-1.60%
are offering to help get more Americans vaccinated, and Uber has partnered its helpline with vaccine manufacturer Moderna Inc. MRNA,
-0.46%
to work with public health agencies to plan trips for those eligible for doses, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Lyft executives have huddled with the new Biden administration over the allocation of federal funds for vaccine-related transportation.

In December, DoorDash Inc. DASH,
+ 3.48%
sent a letter to Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and governors nationwide, urging them to consider prioritizing delivery people in their vaccine distribution plans.

“Dashers have been on the front lines every day, providing essential services to support communities and small businesses across the country throughout the pandemic,” said Max Rettig, Global Head of Public Policy for DoorDash, in the letter of December 7. “We are actively working with public health officials at the federal and state levels to help ensure that these vital delivery agents have access to vaccines as early as possible.”