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Optimising pandemic response through vaccination strategies using neural networks

Chang Zhai, Ping Chen, Zhuo Jin, David Pitt

arXiv 21 Nov 2025 · Statistics — Applications

arXiv:2511.16932 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

Epidemic risk assessment poses inherent challenges, with traditional approaches often failing to balance health outcomes and economic constraints. This paper presents a data-driven decision support tool that models epidemiological dynamics and optimises vaccination strategies to control disease spread whilst minimising economic losses. The proposed economic-epidemiological framework comprises three phases: modelling, optimising, and analysing. First, a stochastic compartmental model captures epidemic dynamics. Second, an optimal control problem is formulated to derive vaccination strategies that minimise pandemic-related expenditure. Given the analytical intractability of epidemiological models, neural networks are employed to calibrate parameters and solve the high-dimensional control problem. The framework is demonstrated using COVID-19 data from Victoria, Australia, empirically deriving optimal vaccination strategies that simultaneously minimise disease incidence and governmental expenditure. By employing this three-phase framework, policymakers can adjust input values to reflect evolving transmission dynamics and continuously update strategies, thereby minimising aggregate costs, aiding future pandemic preparedness.

Citation extraction

69
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80
in-text mentions
69
distinct cited
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19,955
main-text words

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Most heavily cited references

The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.

ReferenceIntensityMentionsSectionsMain text
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8Acemoglu, D., Fallah, A., Giometto, A., Huttenlocher, D., Ozdaglar,… (2024) Optimal adaptive testing for epidemic control: combining molecular and serology tests0.40511100%
9Acuña-Zegarra, M. A., Dáz-Infante, S., Baca-Carrasco, D., and Olmos-… (2021) Covid-19 optimal vaccination policies: A modeling study on efficacy, natural and vaccine-induced immunity responses0.40511100%
10Allen, L. J (2008) An introduction to stochastic epidemic models0.40511100%

Showing the top 10 of 69 scored citations.