Ranking the effective non-pharmaceutical prevention strategies against COVID-19 using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process method

As COVID-19 enters the endemic phase, public reluctance towards getting COVID-19 booster vaccinations presents a challenge for personal and public health. This hesitation increases the personal vulnerability to the virus and makes it more difficult to control the spread of COVID-19 across the community. Thus, this challenge underlines the need for alternate non-pharmaceutical preventive strategies. This study addresses the need by identifying and ranking the non-pharmaceutical preventive measures using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) method. The FAHP approach utilises fuzzy logic to prioritise criteria and alternatives, offering a comprehensive assessment of preventative measures. We presented a case study where three experts were invited to rate three criteria and four alternatives using a nine-point scale with fuzzy numbers. The results indicate that alternative A2 (social distancing) emerges as the most effective measure, while surprisingly, alternative A3 (mask-wearing) is the least preferred. These rankings highlight the importance of effective non-pharmaceutical interventions to raise awareness and encourage people to take precautions in their daily lives during the endemic phase. Additionally, these findings provide the authorities with a valuable benchmark against future pandemics.