An Integrated Vaccination Site Selection and Dose Allocation Problem with Fairness Concerns

TL;DR

This paper addresses the complex problem of optimizing vaccination site selection and dose distribution by balancing fairness in equity and accessibility to improve public immunization effectiveness.

Contribution

It introduces a novel integrated model that simultaneously considers fairness in dose allocation and site accessibility, advancing vaccination planning methods.

Findings

Proposes a new optimization framework for fair vaccination planning

Demonstrates improved equity and accessibility in case studies

Provides insights into balancing fairness and logistical efficiency

Abstract

Fairness in vaccination is not only important from a social justice point of view, but experience has shown that a fair distribution of vaccine proves more effective in public immunization by preventing highly-concentrated infected areas to form among the population. In this paper, we address fairness from two simultaneous points of view: equity and accessibility. Equity in our setting means that as far as possible, each demand zone should receive a fair-share of the total doses available. On the other hand, accessibility means that as far as possible, each demand zone should have equal travel distance to access their assigned vaccination site.