Optimal Allocation of COVID-19 Test Kits Among Accredited Testing Centers in the Philippines

Buhat, Christian Alvin H.; Duero, Jessa Camille C.; Felix, Edd Francis O.; Rabajante, Jomar F.; Mamplata, Jonathan B.

doi:10.1007/s41666-020-00081-5

Cited by 30 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(26 reference statements)

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“…This coefficient characterizes the heterogeneous distribution of cases in spatial scale, which relaxes the well-mixing (homogeneity) assumption in the epidemiological model. [27, 28]. This heterogeneity in infected cases as well as deaths can be observed in Philippine setting as shown in our data dashboard (https://datastudio.google.com/s/uCv8ZX2rI8w).…”

Section: Model Formulationsupporting

confidence: 53%

Optimal Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccines in the Philippines

Buhat

Lutero

Olave

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Vaccine allocation is a national concern especially for countries such as the Philippines that have limited resources in acquiring COVID-19 vaccines. As such, certain groups are suggested to be prioritized for vaccination to protect the most vulnerable before vaccinating others. Our model suggests an allocation of vaccines such that COVID-19 deaths are minimized while the prioritization framework is satisfied. Results of the model show that a vaccine coverage of at least 50 to 70% of the population can be enough for a community with limited supplies, and an increase in vaccine supply is beneficial if initial coverage is less than the specified target range. Also, among the vaccines considered in the study, the one with 89.9% effectiveness and has a 183 Philippine peso (Php) price per dose projected the least number of deaths. Compared to other model variations and common allocation approaches, the model has achieved both an optimal and equitable allocation. This will be helpful for policymakers in determining a vaccine distribution for a resource-constrained community.

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Section: Model Formulationsupporting

confidence: 53%

Optimal Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccines in the Philippines

Buhat

Lutero

Olave

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…The last term of Eq. (15) estimates the cost of the testing kits for the people who should be tested [43] , [56] .…”

Section: The Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan: An optimal distribution model for high-priority countries

Hezam

2022

ISA Transactions

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Background: The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread rapidly worldwide, and the outbreak of the disease was designated a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Such outbreaks would certainly be catastrophic for some of the best-ranked health systems and would be more catastrophic in countries with more fragile health systems. Accordingly, the World Health Organization and other organizations have been appealing to donor countries to support a rapid response plan. The primary objectives of this response plan are to appeal for funds from donors and to distribute these funds to the most affected countries based on the requirements. Methods: In this study, we developed a mathematical model to provide initial insights into the efficient and equitable distribution of urgent funds to high-priority countries. Three phases were proposed for the construction of this mathematical model. In the first phase, the final epidemic sizes in all the target countries were predicted by using three epidemiological models. In the second phase, the urgent requirements for each country were estimated in parallel with the estimates issued by the humanitarian response plan, based on the size of the epidemic and several other factors. In the third and final phase, a multi-objective optimization model was proposed. The first objective was to maximize the funds from donors to cover all the requirements. The second objective was to minimize the unmet demands by ensuring a fair distribution of the urgent funds based on the requirements of the target countries. Results: Predictions of the basic reproduction numbers and the final epidemic sizes were calculated for all target countries. The urgent requirements were estimated, and the requirements issued by the humanitarian response plan for all target countries were also considered. Moreover, a proposed response plan for the distribution network was demonstrated. Donors must provide urgent funds exceeding US$ 2,608,084,209 to cover at least 40 % of each target country’s requirements. Overall, results demonstrate the importance of an urgent and fair distribution of funds to the target countries to overcome the outbreak of COVID-19. Conclusions: Rapid responses by donor countries to humanitarian appeals will facilitate the immediate and fair distribution of relief supplies to the poorest countries. This distribution may help to support health systems, restrain the spread of COVID-19, and prevent an unlimited catastrophe.

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“…Regions having larger population density also have a huge working population and longer working hours [24]. Thus, having a huge population density implies high chance of having contact with each other [25,26]. Another component with high correlation to the cases and deaths is the number of doctors on quarantine, which can be looked at two ways; (i) huge infection rate in the region which is the reason the doctors got exposed/ are on quarantine, and (ii) lots of doctors on quarantine which resulted to less frontliners taking care of the infected individuals.…”

Section: Comparison Of Economic Health and Demographic Components Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Government Responses for COVID-19 Management in the Philippines

Talabis

Babierra

Buhat

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Responses of subnational government units are crucial in the containment of the spread of pathogens in a country. To mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine national government through its Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases outlined different quarantine measures wherein each level has a corresponding degree of rigidity from keeping only the essential businesses open to allowing all establishments tooperate at a certain capacity. Other measures also involve prohibiting individuals at a certain age bracket from going outside of their homes. The local government units (LGUs){municipalities and provinces{can adopt any of these measures depending on the extent of the pandemic in their locality. The purpose is to keep the number of infections and mortality at bay while minimizing the economic impact of the pandemic. Some LGUs have demonstrated a remarkable response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to identify notable non-pharmaceutical interventions of these outlying LGUs in the country using quantitative methods.Methods: Data come from public databases such as Philippine Department of Health, Philippine Statistics Authority Census, and Google Community Mobility Reports. These are normalized using Z-transform. For each locality, infection and mortality data (dataset Y ) are compared to the economic, health, and demographic data (dataset X) using Euclidean metric d = (x - y)2, where x ∈ X and y ∈ Y . If a data pair (x; y) exceeds, by two standard deviations, themean of the Euclidean metric values between the sets X and Y , the pair is assumed to be a 'good' outlier.Results: Our results showed that cluster of cities and provinces in Central Luzon (Region III), CALABARZON (Region IV-A), the National Capital Region (NCR), and Central Visayas (Region VII) are the 'good' outliers with respect to factors such as working population, population density, ICU beds, doctors on quarantine, number of frontliners and gross regional domestic product. Among metropolitan cities, Davao was a 'good' outlier with respect to demographic factors. Conclusions: Strict border control, early implementation of lockdowns, establishment of quarantine facilities, effective communication to the public, and monitoring efforts were the defining factors that helped these LGUs curtail the harm that was brought by the pandemic. If these policies are to be standardized, it would help any country's preparedness for future health emergencies.

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Optimal Allocation of COVID-19 Test Kits Among Accredited Testing Centers in the Philippines

Cited by 30 publications

References 21 publications

Optimal Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccines in the Philippines

Optimal Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccines in the Philippines

COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan: An optimal distribution model for high-priority countries

Local Government Responses for COVID-19 Management in the Philippines

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