AUTHOR=Caga-anan Randy L. , Macalisang Jead M. , Dalisay John Lemuel M. , Raza Michelle N. , Martinez Joey Genevieve T. , Arcede Jayrold P. 

TITLE=Optimal vaccination control for COVID-19 in a metapopulation model: a case of the Philippines

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/applied-mathematics-and-statistics/articles/10.3389/fams.2023.1154634

DOI=10.3389/fams.2023.1154634

ISSN=2297-4687

ABSTRACT=<p>We investigate a contextual problem of how to distribute a limited supply of vaccines over a period of time in a country where different regions have its own vaccination capacities. Considering that daily vaccination will affect future disease progression, we aim to find a distribution strategy over time that can minimize the total infection and implementation costs. Lagrangian and Eulerian migrations connect our multi-patch COVID-19 model, and vaccination is added as a control measure. An optimal control problem with an isoperimetric constraint is formulated and solved using the Adapted Forward–Backward Sweep Method. In distributing 5 million vaccines in 50 days, simulations showed that the optimal control strategy could lead to a difference of reducing two hundred thousand infections in just one region.</p>