Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) infection of pneumocytes with vaccination and drug therapy: Mathematical analysis and optimal control

Abstract

We propose a mathematical model studying a within-host infection dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in pneumocytes. This model incorporates immune response, vaccination and antiviral drugs. The crucial properties of the model — the existence, positivity and boundary of solutions — are established. Equilibrium points and the basic reproduction number are calculated. The stability of each equilibrium point is analyzed. Optimal control is applied to the model by adding three control variables: vaccination, treatment by Favipiravir and treatment by Molnupiravir. Numerical results show that each individual control could reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection in some aspects; however, with a combination of three controls, we obtain the best results in reducing SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study has emphasized the importance of prevention by vaccine and the antiviral treatments.