This technology is being designed for application in the United States when counting on the vaccine and performing a priority-based distribution.
The Vaccine Allocation Planner for COVID-19 is a tool developed by Ariadne Labs, a medical research and innovation center that works in conjunction with Birmingham Women's Hospital in the UK and Harvard University's TH Chan School of Public Health in collaboration with the Surgo Foundation.
The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) disclosed vaccine allocation guidelines in the United States, these guidelines identify 13 critical priority populations to be vaccinated in phases.
- PHASE 1A: high-risk workers in health facilities and first responders.
- PHASE 1B: people with significant comorbid conditions and people living in congregate care settings.
- PHASE 2: critical workers in other high-risk settings (public transit, grocery stores, etc.); teachers and school staff; people with moderate comorbid conditions; all older adults; people in homeless shelters or group homes; and incarcerated people or staff who work in jails.
- PHASE 3: young adults; children; and the remaining critical workers.
- PHASE 4: anyone residing in the United States who didn’t have access to vaccines in prior phases.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Planner aims to provide a comprehensive picture for health authorities in states and counties to follow NASEM guidelines correctly. The tool will allow to show estimates in the size of high priority populations by region and otherwise includes factors to consider such as community vulnerability.
Data for the creation of the Planner were obtained through the American Community Survey, censuses of workers, studies by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other agencies
“State and local leaders will have to make decisions about how to distribute assigned DOSVID-19 vaccine doses, and there are many permutations that those decisions could make,” explained Surgo Foundation Executive Director Dr. Sema Sgaier.
The scheduler is available at the following link: https://covid19vaccineallocation.org/. This tool could be replicated in the other countries of the continent, taking into account the needs and contexts of each.
