Forecasting the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya using SEIR and ARIMA models
Joyce Kiarie, Samuel Mwalili, Rachel Waema Mbogo
Abstract
COVID-19, a coronavirus disease 2019, is an ongoing pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case in Kenya was identified on March 13, 2020, with the pandemic increasing to about 237,000 confirmed cases and 4,746 deaths by August 2021. We developed an SEIR model forecasting the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya using an Autoregressive Integrated moving averages (ARIMA) model. The average time difference between the peaks of wave 1 to wave 4 was observed to be about 130 days. The 4th wave was observed to have had the least number of daily cases at the peak. According to the forecasts made for the next 60 days, the pandemic is expected to continue for a while. The 4th wave peaked on August 26, 2021 (498th day). By October 26, 2021 (60th day), the average number of daily infections will be 454 new cases and 40 severe cases, which would require hospitalization, and 16 critically ill cases requiring intensive care unit services. The findings of this study are key in developing informed mitigation strategies to ensure that the pandemic is contained and inform the preparedness of policymakers and health care workers.