There is little known about COVID-19 transmission and risk factors in humanitarian settings, as well as its broader impact on health outcomes and health services. Recent attempts to estimate the spread of infections as well as the indirect consequences of COVID-19 produced gloomy scenarios. Such models, however, rely on various assumptions, for which data from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) or humanitarian settings are sparse, increasing variability of results. There is, therefore, a need for quality data from different humanitarian contexts to inform decision-making and strategies for the current and future responses, as well as future models according to different contexts.

This project aims to:

1) Improve the understanding of COVID-19 epidemiology in humanitarian settings;

2) Assess the broader impact of the pandemic on non-COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, as well as on health services utilization by vulnerable groups;

3) Investigate how physical distancing and other Public Health and Social Measures affect social interaction and health-seeking behavior, and

4) Document policies and monitor interventions and measure their impact on the epidemiology of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 diseases.

Both routine health facility and surveillance data, as well as primary data, will be used for this analysis. Work will be conducted in North Kivu (the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Bangui (Central African Republic), and Cox’s Bazar district (Bangladesh), in collaboration with Action Contre la Faim and the REACH initiative.