Spherical bipolar fuzzy weighted multi-facility location modeling for mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinics

Pharmacy-based immunization: a systematic review

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has prompted the exploration of new response strategies for such health contingencies in the near future. Over the last 15 years, several pharmacy-based immunization (PBI) strategies have emerged seeking to exploit the potential of pharmacies as immunization, medication sale, and rapid test centers. However, the participation of pharmacies during the last pandemic was very uneven from one country to another, suggesting a lack of consensus on the definition of their roles and gaps between the literature and practice.

Purpose

This study aimed to consolidate the current state of the literature on PBI, document its progress over time, and identify the gaps not yet addressed. Moreover, this study seeks to (i) provide new researchers with an overview of the studies on PBI and (ii) to inform both public health and private organization managers on the range of possible immunization models and strategies.

Methodology

A systematic review of scientific qualitative and quantitative studies on the most important scientific databases was conducted. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyzes guidelines were followed. Finally, this study discusses the trends, challenges, and limitations on the existing literature on PBI.

Findings

Must studies concluded that PBI is a beneficial strategy for the population, particularly in terms of accessibility and territorial equity. However, the effectiveness of PBI is affected by the economic, political, and/or social context of the region. The collaboration between the public (government and health departments) and private (various pharmacy chains) sectors contributes to PBI's success.

Originality

Unlike previous literature reviews on PBI that compiled qualitative and statistical studies, this study reviewed studies proposing mathematical optimization methods to approach PBI.

Vaccine Allocation and Distribution: A Review with a Focus on Quantitative Methodologies and Application to Equity, Hesitancy, and COVID-19 Pandemic

This review focuses on vaccine distribution and allocation in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The implications discussed are in the areas of equity in vaccine distribution and allocation (at a national level as well as worldwide), vaccine hesitancy, game-theoretic modeling to guide decision-making and policy-making at a governmental level, distribution and allocation barriers (in particular in low-income countries), and operations research (OR) mathematical models to plan and execute vaccine distribution and allocation. To conduct this review, we adopt a novel methodology that consists of three phases. The first phase deploys a bibliometric analysis; the second phase concentrates on a network analysis; and the last phase proposes a refined literature review based on the results obtained by the previous two phases. The quantitative techniques utilized to conduct the first two phases allow describing the evolution of the research in this area and its potential ramifications in future. In conclusion, we underscore the significance of operations research (OR)/management science (MS) research in addressing numerous challenges and trade-offs connected to the current pandemic and its strategic impact in future research.

Study on the Localization of Fangcang Shelter Hospitals During Pandemic Outbreaks

In the event of pandemic, it is essential for government authority to implement responses to control the pandemic and protect people's health with rapidity and efficicency. In this study, we first develop an evaluation framework consisting of the entropy weight method (EWM) and the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to identify the preliminary selection of Fangcang shelter hospitals; next, we consider the timeliness of isolation and treatment of patients with different degrees of severity of the infectious disease, with the referral to and triage in Fangcang shelter hospitals characterized and two optimization models developed. The computational results of Model 1 and Model 2 are compared and analyzed. A case study in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, is used to demonstrate the real-life applicability of the proposed models. The two-stage localization method gives decision-makers more options in case of emergencies and can effectively designate the location. This article may give recommendations of and new insights into parameter settings in isolation hospital for governments and public health managers.