Editing 2450: Post Vaccine Social Scheduling

{{comic
| number    = 2450
| date      = April 14, 2021
| title     = Post Vaccine Social Scheduling
| image     = post_vaccine_social_scheduling.png
| titletext = As if these problems weren't NP-hard enough.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is another in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}, specifically regarding the [[:Category:COVID-19 vaccine|COVID-19 vaccine]].

The comic shows a timeline of a multitude of (presumably) friends and acquaintances getting two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.  Due to the recommended delay between shots, as well as the few weeks needed to build antibodies after the second shot, planning get-togethers becomes complicated by who is free to meet, or not yet.

The diagram is some form of Scheduling Diagram, maybe akin to a {{w|Gantt chart}}, which helps to coordinate the status of several individual 'processes' (personal vaccination schedules) and demonstrate where dependent activities (meet-ups) are mutually possible.

Eventually, everyone can start getting together, but during the time where some people have only received one, neither, or only got the second recently, the scheduling is complicated.  The complication is increased by the fact that people who have received one or two doses of vaccine, but haven't gone through the whole waiting period, can be expected to have some protection, but possibly not full protection (as represented by the dashed line).  In that case, there's the added question of how important it is that the person is at an event, and how much risk the people involved are willing to tolerate. This may be the reason for the "movie" set, in which all participants will have received both doses, but one will not have completed the final waiting period.

The title text references NP-hardness, a theme that has come up in past comics. {{w|NP-hardness}} describes a particular level of computational difficulty. Scheduling problems are normally NP-hard. But when extra challenges such as having to deal with whether or not people are vaccinated they become even more difficult.

In this case though, {{w|Critical Path}} dependencies seem trivial enough. Events (vertical lozenges across the dot-marked timelines of those included) are as trivial to validate as possible for those selected to attend. Fixed events in time can be scanned to show all those allowed to participate at that moment. Movable events can be rescheduled until (enough of) those hoped to be included are 'valid'. Complications may arise for those whose presence relies upon [[2441|the status of others]] potentially attending, or the need to maintain time between two events (in either order) with part-shared attendees as a precautionary 'cool-down' isolation. It is not obvious that either of these issues factor in, any more than basic scheduling conflicts would.

The third person is scheduled for a movie before being fully vaccinated may be a direct reference to [[2441: IMDb Vaccines]], discussing the number of people that needs to be vaccinated to record a particular scene. Other than each line's identifying portrait (which are not of the Throne Room characters) no explicit age/vulnerability information is given to justify this, presumably the chart's users are aware of the specifics.

The third person in the table is included in a movie viewing (for which masks could be worn) shortly after their second immunization, but not included in the dinner group until the full benefit of the vaccine takes hold.  CDC guidelines permit vaccinated individuals to visit inside a home or private setting without a mask with one household of unvaccinated people who are not at risk for severe illness. Therefore the movie gathering conforms to CDC recommendations provided that the single unvaccinated person is not at increased risk of severe illness and the movie is in a home or private setting.

The third person in the table appears to have received the second shot twice.  This is possibly a reference to [[2422: Vaccine Ordering]]. Another interpretation is that she lied about her first dose being her second dose to be invited to the movie.

==Transcript==
:[From top to bottom, eleven people are standing on the left side of the image: Danish, Cueball #1, Hairbun #1, Black Hat, Ponytail, Hairbun #2, White Hat, Hairy, Blondie, Cueball #2, and Megan, with even-numbered characters standing slightly further to the left. Each character’s first and second doses of the vaccine are labeled ① and ②, respectively. The time before each character’s first dose is drawn with a grey solid line; the time between their first dose and after they are fully vaccinated (two weeks after their second dose) is drawn with a grey dashed line; the time after they are fully vaccinated is drawn with a black solid line. Black Hat, Hairbun #2, Blondie, Cueball #2, and Megan have all received their first doses before the comic’s time frame. Social activities are drawn with an ellipse around the top and bottom members, and each participating character is identified with a large filled-in circle on their timeline. The ellipses are labeled :]
: DINNER   GAMES   MOVIE   BIRTHDAY   DINNER   CABIN

:[The events that happen, in chronological order (from left to right), are:

* Cueball #1 receives his first dose;
* Blondie receives her second dose;
* Ponytail receives her first dose;
* Hairy receives his first dose;
* White Hat receives his first dose;
* Danish receives her first dose;
* Black Hat receives his second dose;
* Blondie is fully vaccinated;
* Hairbun #2 receives her second dose;
* Cueball #2 receives his second dose;
* Megan receives her second dose;
* Hairbun receives her first dose (erroneously labeled as ②);
* Ponytail receives her second dose;
* Black Hat is fully vaccinated;
* Black Hat and Blondie go to dinner;
* Danish receives her second dose;
* Cueball #1 receives his second dose;
* Hairbun #2 is fully vaccinated;
* Cueball #2 is fully vaccinated;
* Megan is fully vaccinated;
* Hairy receives his second dose;
* White Hat receives his second dose;
* Hairbun #2, Blondie, Cueball #2, and Megan play games;
* Ponytail is fully vaccinated;
* Hairbun receives her second dose;
* Hairbun, Black Hat, and Ponytail go to the movies;
* Danish is fully vaccinated;
* Cueball #1 is fully vaccinated;
* Hairy is fully vaccinated;
* White Hat is fully vaccinated;
* Danish, Cueball #1, Ponytail, White Hat, and Hairy attend a birthday party;
* Hairbun is fully vaccinated;
* Hairbun and Blondie go to dinner;
* Black Hat, Hairbun #2, White Hat, Hairy, and Cueball #2 go to a cabin.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Post-Vaccine Social Scheduling

==Trivia==
* It seems that Hairbun doesn't wait the 2 weeks after her 2nd vaccine before going to the movies.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: COVID-19]]
[[Category: COVID-19 vaccine]]
[[Category: Timelines]]
[[Category: Programming]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Black Hat]]