A two-stages mathematical model for a Covid-19 vaccination fuzzy scheme and resource allocation in hub locations considering transmission risk and environment factor

¹ School of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 11155-4563, Tehran, Iran
² Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
³ Kingston Business School, Kingston University, Kingston Hill, Kingston Upon Thames, United Kingdom
⁴ School of Industrial Engineering, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, P.O. Box: 15875-4416, Tehran, Iran

^* Corresponding author: a.aghsami@ut.ac.ir

Received: 7 March 2023
Accepted: 10 April 2023

Abstract

Tackling with Covid-19 dilemma of vaccine distribution needed a stack of analysis and examination. This paper develops a generalizable framework for designing a hub vaccination dispensing network to achieve expand the Covid-19 vaccination coverage for public. Designing a hub location routing network for vaccine distribution is the main concern for this research. The proposed model hinges on maximum coverage and patients’ safety by considering high-priority population alongside the cost reduction in an uncertain environment. The hub location model enhances the accessibility of the vaccines to various communities and helps to overcome the challenges. The results of this model were examined through both numerical and case studies in the north of Tehran to demonstrate its application. Furthermore, in order to reduce the costs of vaccine imports, vaccine entry routing can be developed from border and air points to the country in order to be able to perform vaccination in the fastest time and lowest cost in the future. The results concede that increasing the number of outreach dispensing locations per hub dispensing location will not necessarily result in increased coverage.