Gov. Jared Polis and state health officials Wednesday addressed the outbreak of a new variation on the COVID-19 virus at an assisted living facility in Elbert County, as well as the process for vaccinating older Coloradans and essential workers.

The new COVID-19 variant, known as B.1.1.7, was disclosed yesterday and was detected in two National Guard personnel working at the Good Samaritan Society assisted living facility in Simla, about an hour northeast of Colorado Springs.

One man, in his 20s, has been confirmed positive; the second, age unknown, and as first reported by Colorado Politics, is suspected. The positive individual is quarantining at home in El Paso County. The individual who is suspected of having the variant virus is in isolation in a hotel in Lincoln County, according to state officials.

According to an update from Elbert County Public Health Director Dwayne Smith Wednesday, the first positive test showed up on Dec. 24, and National Guard personnel on deployment are tested every two days.

Both men were working in non-clinical roles, the Elbert County update said. Staff and residents will be monitored daily while under quarantine, and will be tested on Days 5, 10 and 14 after initial exposure.

Related: Health officials suspect second case of COVID-19 variant virus in Colorado

The Simla facility has an active outbreak that predated the appearance of B.1.1.7, according to state health officials. All 26 patients have tested positive for the virus, and four residents have died, according to state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy. Twenty out of 34 staff at the facility also have tested positive for the virus.

The outbreak began at the facility in mid-December, and due to staff shortages, six National Guard personnel were deployed to the facility on Dec. 23. None of the other National Guard personnel at the Simla facility have tested positive.

Herlihy said two scenarios are possible: that the National Guard personnel contracted the virus at the Simla facility, or more likely, that it was contracted elsewhere. Neither of the two men have traveled internationally.

“We do not have evidence that the variant is circulating” at the Simla facility, Herlihy said.

Herlihy added that they are attempting to identify all contacts for those two individuals for the two weeks prior to their deployment to Simla. She also said the state deployed a team to the Simla facility Tuesday to collect specimens from staff, and is continuing to test on Wednesday.

A Wednesday statement from Randy Fitzgerald, regional vice president for the Good Samaritan Society, said “The health, safety and well-being of our residents, staff and the community we serve remains our top priority. The Colorado Department of Health and Environment have been on-site to test employees and residents for the variant. We expect to have the results in the next few days. We will continue to work closely with the state while following the CDC’s infection control measures.”

In addition, “We look forward to beginning vaccinations at this location next week. In nursing homes across the nation, we’ve seen the tragic impact of COVID-19. The vaccine is a huge milestone in the fight against this virus and will help keep our residents and staff safe. But the fight against COVID-19 isn’t over yet. Everyone has a responsibility to help slow the spread of this virus to protect the most vulnerable in our community.  We encourage everyone to continue to follow all of the CDC guidelines – wear a mask, keep a distance, limit your time with large crowds, wash your hands, stay home if you’re sick – and get your flu shot now.”

Polis announced during his press conference that vaccines are nearly completed for front-line healthcare workers and that on Thursday, Coloradans 70 years and older, and nursing home residents and staff will start getting vaccinated, known as Phase 1B. That group also will include teachers, food and ag workers, postal service employees, government officials involved in continuity of state government operations and a small sector of front-line journalists.

Just how fast Coloradans get vaccinated will depend on vaccine supply, which is something of an unknown, Polis said. He believes it will take four to five weeks to vaccinate everyone in the 1B category, including the 70 years and older population.

As to B.1.1.7, Polis said he is very proud that Colorado was the first state to detect the mutation, but that the state does not have a good sense yet of how prevalent the mutation, which is more easily transmissible, is, either in Colorado or nationally.

“We are constantly studying the virus,” in addition to testing, said Dr. Emily Travanty, scientific director of the state’s public health lab. That includes tracking the variant virus since it was discovered in southeastern England in September. “We followed it as it became the dominant strain in the UK,” she said.

Once they learned about the gene mutation tied to B.1.1.7, the state lab set up screening to watch for the variation.

Chief state medical officer Dr. Eric France said the variation doesn’t appear to be more deadly than the COVID-19 virus that has sickened millions worldwide. It does, however, appear to spread faster, and that raises concerns that it could cause an increase in cases and hospitalizations, just as the state is starting to see fewer cases and a slow decline in hospitalizations. Instead of one person infecting two or three others, under this mutation, that could spread to four or five people.

France also said the vaccines being administered appear to be just as effective for the variant virus as it is for the older virus. It would take years before the virus would mutate to the point where the vaccines wouldn’t be effective, he said.

“Viruses change over time,” Travanty said. “Some pop up and disappear without being detected. There’s no reason to think [B.1.1.7] is any more concerning than any other variant,” Travanty added.

Polis warned, however, that masks may not be as effective in containing the spread, although he still strongly urges Coloradans to continue with the same protocols: wearing masks, keeping at least 6 feet apart, not congregating with people outside your own household and frequent handwashing. He estimated masks for the old virus are about 50% effective in preventing the spread, but perhaps only 40% effective with the variation.

Polis also said the state is asking the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services if Colorado can temporarily suspend visitations at nursing homes until those residents and staff are vaccinated.

“The new variant is a reminder that there’s a lot we don’t know about the virus,” Polis said. But there’s also “a lot we do know: how not to contract it.

“This is the homestretch,” Polis said, returning to his frequent references to marathons, baseball and football. “We’re rounding third base, we’re on the two-yard line.”

The governor said he knows people will be tempted to celebrate New Year’s Eve but asked people to celebrate in their own households.

Polis also addressed a question about from a Parker Republican, Mark Hall, who on Monday published the address of a public health worker, known as doxxing, and in a manner that could constitute a threat against that worker or other public health employees.

According to 9News, Hall wrote that “If you work for the state, CDPHE, Tri-County or other agencies, you are on the radar, at your homes and elsewhere. You want to be Anti-Americans, Patriots are going to show you the errors of your ways. We didn’t ask for this but you brought it on.”

Hall has since taken down the post.

“I want to discourage any form of doxxing,” Polis said. “We absolutely value the work of our public health officials who have been working extraordinarily hard during this pandemic to prevent additional loss of life.”