Page 118 - IJPS-10-1

International Journal of
Population Studies Migration and mobility data in COVID-19 response

Table 1. Summary of studies included in the systematic review
Region Article title Author(s), year
Burundi Burundi’s “Worst Enemy:” the Country’s Fight Against COVID-19 Manirambona et al., 2021
Kenya Practical geospatial and sociodemographic predictors of human mobility Ruktanonchai et al., 2021
Kenya Mobility Patterns During COVID-19 Travel Restrictions in Nairobi Urban Informal Pinchoff et al., 2021
Settlements: Who Is Leaving Home and Why. Journal of urban health:
Kenya Forecasting the scale of the COVID-19 epidemic in Kenya Brand et al., 2020
Kenya The impact of COVID-19 control measures on social contacts and transmission in Quaife et al., 2020
Kenyan informal settlements
Kenya A vulnerability index for COVID-19: spatial analysis at the subnational level in Kenya Macharia et al., 2020
Rwanda Lessons learned from Rwanda: innovative strategies for prevention and containment Karim et al., 2021
of COVID-19
Uganda Feasibility of using a mobile App to monitor and report COVID-19 related symptoms Mugenyi et al., 2021
and people’s movements in Uganda
Uganda Uganda as a role model for pandemic containment in Africa Sarki et al., 2020
Uganda Uganda’s first 100 COVID-19 cases: trends and lessons Olum & Bongomin, 2020
Tanzania The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Tanzania: recommendations based on lesson Tarimo & Wu, 2020
learned from China
Africa COVID-19 and the State of Global Mobility in 2020 Benton, 2021
Africa Pan-African evolution of within-and between-country COVID-19 dynamics Ssentongo et al., 2021
Continental Prediction of the COVID-19 spread in African countries and implications for Zhao et al., 2020
prevention and control: a case study in South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Senegal,
and Kenya
Continental Preparedness and vulnerability of African countries against importations of COVID- Gilbert et al., 2020
19: a modeling study
Kenya, Uganda Unseen Eyes, Unheard Stories: Surveillance, data protection, and freedom of ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa, the Kenya
expression in Kenya and Uganda during COVID-19 ICT Action Network (KICTANet), 2021
Global Community movement and COVID-19: a global study using Google’s Community Sulyok & Walker, 2020
Mobility Reports
Africa Coordinating action: lessons from early COVID-19 responses in five African WHO/AFRO, 2021
countries

emergencies (Affara et al., 2021). Frequent outbreaks of strategy adopted by the EAC summit was to limit cross-
diseases in the EAC could partly be attributed to the increased border movements by people, but to allow trade to continue.
integration and Free Movement Protocol that allowed visa- One of the notable initiatives was the establishment of a
free travel within the region by citizens of respective member tracking system for truck drivers who play a critical role of
states (EAC, 2010). In response to the COVID-19 pandemic transporting goods across the region, namely, the Regional
in the region in March 2020, the EAC Regional Health Sector Electronic Cargo and Driver Tracking System (RECDTS)
Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) Emergency Response Plan (EAC, 2020b). RECDTS is a mobile phone app that allows
was launched in April 2020, largely mirroring the continental cargo drivers to cross the border using COVID-19 digital
response plan (EAC, 2020a). certificates which display the COVID-19 test results and
The EAC COVID-19 Response Plan had several key reduces the need for testing in multiple countries.
activities aimed at reducing community transmission At the national level, each member state set up a
due to cross-border movements of people, building national response plan mirroring the EAC Regional
regional surveillance, enhancing case detection and case Response Plan. While Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda had
management, monitoring and coordinating responses to the immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tanzania
pandemic, supporting research and development of future and Burundi recorded delayed responses largely blamed
responses, and swiftly tracking the implementation of the on political factors. The Burundi government set up the
Digital COVID-19 Tracker Tool, which helps in contact COVID-19 National Response Plan to be implemented by
tracking and patient self-monitoring (EAC, 2020b:12). The the Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS,

Volume 10 Issue 1 (2024) 112 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.357