Maximization of Open Hospital Capacity under Shortage of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines—An Open Access, Stochastic Simulation Tool

Motive. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to the novel situation that hospitals must prioritize staff for a vaccine rollout while there is acute shortage of the vaccine. In spite of the availability of guidelines from state agencies, there is partial confusion about what an optimal rollout plan is. This study investigates effects in a hospital model under different rollout schemes. Methods. A simulation model is implemented in VBA, and is studied for parameter variation in a predefined hospital setting. The implemented code is available as open access supplement. Main results. A rollout scheme assigning vaccine doses to staff primarily by staff’s pathogen exposure maximizes the predicted open hospital capacity when compared to a rollout based on a purely hierarchical prioritization. The effect increases under resource scarcity and greater disease activity. Nursing staff benefits most from an exposure focused rollout. Conclusions. The model employs SARS-CoV-2 parameters; nonetheless, effects observable in the model are transferable to other infectious diseases. Necessary future prioritization plans need to consider pathogen characteristics and social factors.