{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,22]],"date-time":"2026-01-22T02:53:33Z","timestamp":1769050413459,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":134,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]],"date-time":"2026-01-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768953600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Epidemiologia"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: This ecological study aimed to investigate changes in the time-varying reproduction number (Rt) of SARS-CoV-2 across six regions of Massachusetts from 2020 to 2022 and to evaluate the impact of various nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented in 2020 by examining associated changes in the Rt. Methods: COVID-19 incident case data from the Johns Hopkins University database were adjusted for reporting delays using deconvolution and for underreporting via a Poisson-distributed multiplier of 4. Negative and zero counts were corrected using imputation. Rt was estimated using R package EpiEstim (Version 2.2-4) with a 7-day sliding window from 2020 to 2022 and with non-overlapping time windows between policy changes in 2020. Results: From 2020 to 2022, Massachusetts experienced five COVID-19 surges, linked to the wild-type strain and emerging variants, with Rt exceeding 1 during each wave and stabilizing at or dropping below 1 during low-incidence phases. School closure and gathering restrictions, the first major intervention, were associated with a 14.7% statewide reduction in Rt (95% credible interval (CrI): \u221223.6%, \u22125.6%), with greater reductions in high-density areas such as Boston (\u221216.9%; 95% CrI: \u221226.9%, \u22127.5%). No statistically significant changes in Rt were found to be associated with other NPIs in 2020, including the mask mandate, reopening phases, travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, and curfews. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the different NPIs\u2019 varying impacts on COVID-19 transmission dynamics across regions in Massachusetts in 2020 and underscore the importance of early interventions for future pandemic preparedness.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/epidemiologia7010015","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]],"date-time":"2026-01-21T11:11:17Z","timestamp":1768993877000},"page":"15","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Geographical Variation in SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Potential in Massachusetts"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-4426-6154","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ina Sze-Ting","family":"Lee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xinyi","family":"Hua","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7256-3978","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jing Xiong","family":"Kersey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kayoko","family":"Shioda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA"},{"name":"Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2194-2251","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gerardo","family":"Chowell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5496-2529","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isaac Chun-Hai","family":"Fung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Sharecare, and Boston University School of Public Health (2024, November 30). 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Order Temporarily Applying Further Capacity Restrictions to Statewide COVID-19 Safety Rules (COVID-19 Order No. 59), Available online: https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/doc\/covid-19-order-59\/download."},{"key":"ref_134","unstructured":"Massachusetts Department of Public Health (2024, August 01). 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