Browsing by Author "Aljohani, Basim"

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Optimizing the Selection of COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Centers and Allocation Quantities: A Case Study for the County of Los Angeles
(2023-07) Aljohani, Basim; Hall, Randolph
This thesis aims to provide a tool to help policy and decision-makers establish well-informed plans about the selection and distribution of locations and quantities of vaccines. Optimization of vaccine distribution centers' locations plays a crucial role in providing communities with easy access to vaccines, which will help in controlling global pandemics, such as the recent COVID-19, and mitigate the risks of losing lives and economic losses. As studies have proven, strategic planning of the vaccine site locations and the allocated quantities of the vaccines could help boost the amount of vaccine uptake. This thesis utilizes mathematical modeling techniques to develop a mixed integer program that aims to minimize travel time, distance, and associated costs in one of the largest counties in the United States, Los Angeles County. The developed model takes into account the diverse demographics and socioeconomic factors of the County and plans for the selection and allocations accordingly. The model explores 277 zip codes within Los Angeles and analyzes them as potential vaccine distribution centers. It also incorporates the two different and most common means of transportation, cars, and public transit, to account for all users. Three scenarios are explored where each zip code of the 277 is assigned priority based on the following factors: population, Healthy Places Index, and a Vulnerability to COVID-19 index. The output showed significant improvements in reducing average travel times and distances as well as savings in costs when compared to the actual selected sites within the County.
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