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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic there have been key findings that have altered our understanding or required responses to this disease. For example, the realization that pre- or asymptomatic persons might be infectious has required a different approach to masking and social distancing. While we have several threads discussing the pandemic, I feel that recent developments justify a new topic, especially as it could be used to clarify potential misunderstandings. With the delta variant (B.1.617.2) gaining dominance we are seeing yet another change that requires us to re-think the trajectory of the pandemic. First of all, the transmission rate of this variant is much higher than estimates for the original strain. The CDC has compared it to chicken pox, which has a basic reproduction number (R0) of >10. What does it mean? First of all, this might indicate that vaccine-based herd immunity is entirely out of the picture. With a R0 of 10 you would need to have a total protection of >92% of the population. Since the effectiveness of the best vaccines against the delta variant are a bit lower than 90%, it means that even with no vaccine hesitation and even if we could vaccinate children with it, we won't hit the required target for herd immunity. This has been assumed to happen for a while now, and might be the least surprising bit of news. However, there are a few recent findings that have prompted changes in messaging, for example with regard to masking. The key issue here are the finding that folks with breakthrough infections have similar viral loads as unvaccinated folks. What does it mean? Fundamentally there some vaccinated folks that get infected with SARS-CoV-2. That in itself is not surprising. Historically, breakthrough infections happen for most vaccinations at low frequencies. Most of the time the focus is on illness, i.e. symptomatic manifestations of infections. However, as mentioned, the possibility of asymptomatic spread has changed that. The fact that vaccinated folks still have high titers means that folks with breakthrough infections could infect others and especially unvaccinated folks are at risk of becoming seriously ill. Vaccinated folks, for the most part do not seem to develop serious symptoms anymore, but it means that vaccinated folks could unwittingly infect and endanger un-or undervaccinated folks. This has prompted a reversal in the masking recommendation. Moreover, it has made many infectious disease experts nervous as in many countries mask mandates are being lifted. Unknowns: There are still many open questions. For example, in the US, the delta variant is causing more illness in younger folks, including children. It is not clear whether this is really a property of the virus, or just because younger folks tend not to be vaccinated. It is not certain whether the vaccine effectively protect from long-haul COVID symptoms. The rate of breakthrough infections is unclear, we know the lower end of the estimate based on detected cases, but since folks without symptoms typically do not get tested, we do not know exact numbers. Even in a highly vaccinated community it is possible that there is a large enough reservoir to allow new variants to develop. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7031e2.htm?s_cid=mm7031e2_w https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.31.21261387v1 Discussion points: As a whole it means that we are heading into new territory during fall and winter. The big question is whether the current vaccination rates are good enough to prevent mass hospitalization or will easing of restrictions make folks forget that the disease is still there and cause a new surge. Vaccine hesitancy will add fuel to this potential fire. The communication in many countries/states/provinces have been confusing to say the least and quite a few folks I have talked to seem under the impression that there is little danger left, despite the fact that even in highly vaccinated countries, especially younger folks are barely hitting 50% of full vaccinations. Moreover, most folks in the world are still unvaccinated, meaning that we will need to prepare for more variants. Everyone is being sick and tired of the situation, yet undoubtedly the world has changed yet again (and will continue to do so). A big decision at some point is to establish how many deaths we are comfortable with. With regard to flue, for example, the number is surprisingly high across countries and by any estimate, COVID-19 is going to eclipse it, unless very high vaccination rates are maintained, which is notoriously difficult. Edit Aug, 19, 2021: A new preprint has come out indicating that with the Delta variant Pfizer might only be 42% effective at preventing infections (not disease!) and Moderna was about 76%. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.06.21261707v1 This seem to highlight that behavioral prevention is still going to be important.

Oi!!! I never said I was a conscientious worker or ever really was....just the Mrs!! 😉 I prefer my football, my meat pies and a VB or two or three!!

Forgiveness isn't about what's best for the perp, it's about what's best for you; even if the forgiven is you...

I think there are levels of consideration and pity that apply here. You cannot take the same approach with every criminal act or perpetrator. After all we are all different, though we may share many traits as humans, each person has their own identity and personality. There should be no excuse for a crime, though some crimes you can see why they are committed and you can sympathise and sometimes empathise with the perpetrator. The level of the criminal act and danger this may pose to society should be what drives the considerations for punishment, rehabilitation etc... Thankfully, in the western culture this (so I believe) is the case. Do I sympathise with a petty criminal who is down on their luck, desperate? For sure. Do I sympathise with a criminal that has had a poor upbringing and/or abused. Yeah (even if the crime is to some degree serious). Do I sympathise with a criminal that tortures, abuses, rapes, brutally murders... No, regardless of their problems or excuses, mental illness's, environment... To inflict such horrific things onto another human being is despicable and should be dealt with by society accordingly, regardless of rehabilitation or pity for the aggressor, this person has taken from another human being what cannot be returned. If anyone inflicted such violence to any member of my family I would expect at the very least, severe punishment to be given. Failing this I would not hesitate to deploy my own "justice" and end up a criminal myself, at least then you can pity me.

Hello Jd1 and welcome. Yes that was the topic. The former member did not have enough Maths knowledge to appreciate the simple explanation, and you have not indicated your level of Maths. I can't see that the decimal - fraction converter in your link is any use either. Here is a simple correct Mathematics answer to the question, you may appreciate. Consider the whole number system : 0, 1, 2 ... That is all the numbers in the system are whole numbers. The system is sometimes called the counting numbers. In this number system there are no numbers between 0 and 1 or indeed between any adjacent two whole numbers. Now consider what we call the rational number system, which includes all possible fractions. That is all the numbers in the rational number system are fractions, so in this system the whole numbers appear as fractions where the denominator (bottom number) is 1. So in this system [math]0 = \frac{0}{1}[/math] and [math]1 = \frac{1}{1}[/math] One property of the rational number system is that between any two rational numbers there are more rational numbers. So the is nowhere where there are two numbers that do not have more fractions between them, no matter how finely you divide the gap up. We denote this property by saying that the rational numbers are dense. Further the rational number system is the simplest number system with this property. The counting numbers are not dense