Page 121 - IJPS-10-1

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

region was tracked using the Regional Electronic Cargo previous disease outbreaks (Kakaī et al., 2020; Pindolia
and Driver Tracking System (RECDTS), which captured et al., 2014). To ensure completeness and integrity of
information on COVID-19 among truck drivers. Using the the data collected, better coordination of data collection
RECDTS database, the Uganda Ministry of Health reported across multiple agencies at the border posts is strongly
that truck drivers accounted for over 80% of the COVID-19 required (Odero, 2020). The studies conducted in Kenya
positive cases, which, in turn, drove the accelerated rate of demonstrate how census data can model the diffusion of
vaccination and more intensive tracking of truck drivers as the disease in the country, as well as detect the regions
a response measure (Sarki et al., 2020:2). with higher social vulnerabilities that would weaken their
Gilbert et al. (2020) modeled the air travel flows between response systems. It is noteworthy that the CDC in Kenya,
China and Africa to compute the risk of importation of the which was part of the agencies managing COVID-19 in
coronavirus into the African countries, including Kenya the country, adjusted their interventions based on the
observed patterns of subnational migration flows in the
and Tanzania, using Epirisk, a computational platform, country, ensuring there was more vigilance in the urban
for epidemiological modeling. The results showed that the
EAC region was associated with low risk in this regard, but areas and some of the subnational units where most of the
Kenya and Tanzania were identified as having “moderate population resided in.
risk” of importing the virus, while also being reported for A notable observation was the use of digital technology
harboring very low capacity to manage the pandemic in to conduct surveys of the population to test the efficacy of
case; it becomes severe (Gilbert et al., 2020). COVID-19 interventions in the country. Digital technology
provided a quicker alternative for migration and mobility
4. Discussion data and was widely adopted globally (Alamo et al., 2020).

This systematic review sought to provide evidence In the EAC region, Jitenge and CoronaCheck apps in Kenya
on the use of migration and mobility statistics in the and Tanzania, respectively, demonstrate the usefulness of
management of COVID-19 pandemic in the EAC bloc. technology in generating real-time information on population
The Global Compact on Migration calls for the use of flows. These apps enabled monitoring of health status of
accurate and disaggregated migration statistics for policy infected travellers and their adherence to quarantine measures
making in migration governance. In line with this, this when they were receiving treatments for COVID-19.
systematic review seeks to investigate how migration data Availability and open access to global online databases
were utilized in COVID-19 response initiatives in the to facilitate research and modeling of COVID-19 is an
EAC region. The EAC COVID-19 Response Plan provides important pillar supporting the design of pandemic
the overall framework for managing the pandemic in responses globally. The studies cited in this review
the region and was reviewed as part of the background confirmed the benefits of the Google Mobility dataset for
information critical for the study. A glimpse into the forecasting and modeling the spread of COVID-19 in the
strategies employed in the plan indicate that “timely data,” EAC region. It is also necessary to explore other datasets,
encompassing that of vulnerable populations including such as the Global Epidemic and Mobility (GLEaM), for
migrants, is explicitly stated, but none of the documented modeling epidemics by combining sociodemographic and
studies demonstrate the use of the data in the COVID population mobility data to include different diseases and
management strategies. population structures (Balcan et al., 2010). There were,
Several data sources have been traditionally employed however, ethical and proprietary considerations about the
by the EAC member states to collect data on migration use of data generated from such sources as they are not
and human mobility and include administrative records, representative of the entire population and are also prone
such as border control data, decennial census, and to ethical issues. Potential misuse of such data to track
periodic surveys. Evidence shows that such data sources perceived illegal migrants has been documented elsewhere
may not provide real-time information required during (Gasser et al., 2020), sparking the need to protect data of
emergencies such as pandemic outbreaks, but they can all people, including the migrants. In contexts where data
be employed to provide initial model on the spread of protection laws are in place, there is reduced risk in misuse
diseases. The One Stop Border Initiative launched in the of such data (Munir et al., 2015).
EAC region provides a repository of critical information This review captured the interventions conducted in
on population mobility, including travel duration, the 2-year period after the global outbreak of COVID-19.
destination, and reason for movements, all which could While efforts were made to acquire the evidence from the
inform the contact tracing processes in times of the member states of the EAC region, there were few published
pandemics, as demonstrated in the management of studies from Burundi and Tanzania, resulting in under-

Volume 10 Issue 1 (2024) 115 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.357