Strategic Analysis for the Installation of Field Hospitals for COVID-19 Control: An Approach Based on P-Median Model

Concerning the expansion of the coronavirus in the world, the search for the development of solutions related to the control and mitigation of the pandemic situation became constant. The paper addresses an analysis of localities for the installation of field hospitals, highly requested as a point of treatment for COVID-19. In this scenario, a framework based on the P-median approach and mathematical programming is proposed, enabling an optimization model as an analysis format for the problematic situation. To support the implementation of the model, a computational tool for data processing was developed, integrating an optimization model to the geographical evaluation, exploring in the analysis numerical and graphical resources. As a validation of the study, a case study in the city of Rio de Janeiro – Brazil is presented, analyzing 162 neighborhoods and determining seven favorable localities for the installation of field hospitals.