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The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted our health, economy, and psychosocial well-being. Public health mitigation measures such as wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding large gatherings, and washing hands have demonstrated benefit in curbing the spread of infection, but have been implemented inconsistently and unevenly throughout the world, which has limited their effectiveness. Unfortunately, as we start a new year, we have seen the same daunting challenges that marked the end of last year, with the virus continuing to spread, hospitals in many places are becoming overwhelmed. Fortunately, the new year ushers in the arrival of recently approved vaccines, providing hope of light at the end of the tunnel. This hope, however, comes with a new challenge\u2014accelerating the secure,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>safe,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and equitabl<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span>\u00a0distributi<\/span><\/span>on<\/span><\/span><\/a> of\u00a0vaccines that\u00a0can immunize\u00a0the community and\u00a0help restore a sense of normalcy in our lives.<\/p>\n The steps may be daunting, but vaccinations provide the safest and most effective path forward. The goal needs to be to vaccinate as many persons as possible, starting with the highest risk populations, and as quickly as possible. Technology plays an essential role in\u00a0accelerating\u00a0the distribution of the vaccine\u00a0and\u00a0evaluating, using global real-world data, how long the immunity lasts after vaccination to\u00a0assess reinfection risks and determine if and when revaccination is necessary. It can also\u00a0help facilitate cross-agency collaboration, enable remote work,\u00a0improve data insights,\u00a0and deliver trusted services without interruption.<\/p>\n The Microsoft Vaccination Management platform includes a growing collection of vaccination specific solutions from Microsoft and our partner ecosystem.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>They<\/span><\/span><\/span> are designed to enable and extend an organization’s vaccination management capabilities and create end-to-end experiences for citizens, front-line vaccine administrators, and healthcare providers. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Those offers <\/span><\/span><\/span>can enable registration<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and prioritized scheduling<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0of appointments<\/span><\/span><\/span>, optimize material management by streamlining automatic replenishment of supplies, track-and-trace monitoring of prescriptions and medical supply deliveries, and streamline reporting to help public health systems stay focused on getting the vaccines, resources, and services where and when they\u2019re needed. Using data and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions can provide actionable insights that enable public health and government officials to make informed policy decisions, improve vaccination education, and help avoid supply disruption. Most recently, The National Covid Vaccination Registration Platform for the 45 million eligible citizens in the U.K. is built via an Azure web form and hosted on Azure. As part of the overall service, System C, hosted and managed the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) on Azure, also integrating with Primary Care and National Health Systems (NHS) nationally, using Power BI for reporting.<\/p>\n Embracing the power of digital, along with the power of human innovation and strategic partnerships, can help support the continuity and stability of public health and safety in every country\u00a0as we work to stop the pandemic and prepare for any future public health risks.<\/p>\n The promising news is that COVID-19 vaccinations have started.\u00a0<\/span>Many<\/span>\u00a0of<\/span>\u00a0the cold-chain logistical issues of delivering the vaccine to hospitals and clinics have been addressed. One example of this kind of\u00a0<\/span>problem-solving is FedEx and Microsoft\u2019s collaboration on <\/span>FedEx Surround<\/span><\/a>, a platform that uses data to manage and track inventory in real-time originally built for businesses, now being used to help support vaccine distribution. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, as\u00a0<\/span>public health and healthcare organizations<\/span>\u00a0plan ahead, we should expect a new set of challenges. One of those is how to educate, inform, and encourage vaccinations for the broader population, several of whom may be unaware, unsure, or unconvinced about the safety and merits of the vaccine. Just as we have seen with prior vaccination campaigns, the active involvement of respected healthcare providers and community leaders will be central to the success of this effort. Technology can amplify these messages\u00a0and also\u00a0help deliver individualized recommendations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As<\/span><\/span>\u00a0states and local communities begin to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>vaccinate their\u00a0<\/span><\/span>populations,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>keeping the public informed about the status of the vaccine distribution will be important for maintaining trust.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Public organizations are launching public-facing dashboards<\/span><\/span>\u00a0that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>track\u00a0<\/span><\/span>available doses, the <\/span><\/span>number of residents vaccinated, both first and second doses<\/span><\/span>, among other key data points<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>The state of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Minnesota<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>for example, is leverag<\/span><\/span>ing Microsoft <\/span><\/span>Power<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>BI\u00a0<\/span><\/span>i<\/span><\/span>n its <\/span><\/span>comprehensive\u00a0<\/span><\/span>public\u00a0<\/span><\/span>vaccine data\u00a0<\/span><\/span>dashboard<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Early in the pandemic, we observed how AI-based chatbot technology<\/a> could deliver personalized responses for individuals seeking answers to their questions about COVID-19. Individuals who screened at-risk based on their responses were then directed to a telehealth visit and\/or to receive a COVID-19 test. This enabled streamlined screening and triage for large populations, which increased the availability of healthcare professionals and other resources to focus on the delivery of care.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Azure Health Bot<\/span><\/span><\/a> recently released new capabilities and templates for vaccinations to enable checking eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines and providing answers to related questions. Trinity Health, one of the largest healthcare systems in the nation, caring for more than 30 million people across 22 states, has effectively utilized AI chatbots to make it easier for patients to quickly connect to the care they need. From answering questions to routing patients to the appropriate avenue of care or service, the technology provided an improved experience.<\/p>\n As health organizations and public health services explore how to answer specific questions and provide individualized recommendations about the COVID-19 vaccine to large diverse populations, AI chatbot technology may again serve as a powerful tool. It can be used to help answer questions based on specific concerns that the person has and at the same time facilitate the registration for the vaccination.<\/p>\n Unlike the flu shot where individuals can simply request and receive one, the COVID-19 vaccine is in limited supply. COVID-19 vaccinations need to be prioritized. While several prioritization models have been proposed, such as the Fair Priority Model<\/a> and recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices<\/a>, adoption of these and other guidelines has been highly variable and subject to local interpretation.<\/p>\n However, one thing that remains constant is the need for all organizations to move quickly and not lose valuable time. Now is the time to embark on large scale campaigns to educate the public about the vaccine, address individual concerns, identify pockets of those who require targeted interventions, and most notably pre-register people for the vaccine. Individuals can be notified in an automated manner at a later time when they are eligible to schedule the vaccination. <\/span>For example, t<\/span>he\u00a0<\/span>Oklahoma State\u00a0<\/span>Department of Health<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>is partnering with\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft\u00a0<\/span>to develop a<\/span>\u00a0mobile app to\u00a0<\/span>help residents confirm vaccine eligibility and help schedule vaccination appointments.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pre-registration is not a new concept. It involves registering individuals prior to them fulfilling eligibility criteria. The same principle can be applied to COVID-19 vaccinations. Currently, registration and scheduling of individuals for vaccinations occur at the same time. By separating these two processes and enabling pre-registration to take place in advance of scheduling analytics and AI can then be applied to the pre-registration results to help predict which populations require further attention, where they are located, and the types of outreach most likely to increase vaccine registration rates in those communities.<\/p>\n To increase the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>vaccination rate<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>, we also need to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>con<\/span><\/span>sider<\/span><\/span>\u00a0how many<\/span><\/span>\u00a0individuals\u00a0<\/span><\/span>can be vaccinated per clinic per day. This\u00a0<\/span><\/span>is influenced<\/span><\/span>\u00a0by\u00a0<\/span><\/span>several<\/span><\/span>\u00a0factors, including\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the number<\/span><\/span>\u00a0of vaccines available in the clinic,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>vaccine storage capabilities,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the number of staff available for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>patient\u00a0<\/span><\/span>intake<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and<\/span><\/span>\u00a0vaccine administration<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>access to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>personal protective equipment,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>size and configuration of the clinic.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Each of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span>ese factors<\/span><\/span>\u00a0need<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to be tracked and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>managed<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>More<\/span><\/span>o<\/span><\/span>ver<\/span><\/span>, g<\/span><\/span>iven that we are\u00a0<\/span>in the midst of<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0pandemic,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>we need to ensure that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>patient\u00a0<\/span><\/span>lines are\u00a0<\/span><\/span>short<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and socially distant,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0a<\/span><\/span>nd<\/span><\/span>\u00a0rooms are\u00a0<\/span><\/span>un<\/span><\/span>crowded. To do this,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>scheduling\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and throughput\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Vaccination\u00a0<\/span><\/span>campaign management<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Pre-registration and phased scheduling<\/h3>\n
Throughput efficiency<\/h3>\n