Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) said in an interview that the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines heralds the “end of the medical emergency” for the virus, and that it will not go into effect. It implements state-wide mask delegation in response to an Omicron variable.

Why it matters: Polis told Colorado Public Radio that he’d rather push vaccinations than arrest warrants for masks, the latter of which should be left to communities. He added that public health officials “can’t tell people what to wear.”

Between the lines: Yesterday’s first estimate by the UK found two doses of Pfizer’s vaccine to be only 30% effective against symptomatic omicron infection, and the AstraZeneca vaccine not effective at all, writes Kaitlin Owens of Axios.

What do they say: “We see [la disponibilité des vaccins] Polis said.

The British government raised the official coronavirus alert level on Sunday, citing an increase in cases due to the Omicron variant.

Why it matters: The country first discovered the new strain late last month in travelers returning from South Africa. In response, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reimposed COVID-related restrictions to combat the infection.

About half of residents of nursing homes have received a COVID-booster injection — a worrying statistic as Omicron is spreading rapidly around the world.

Why it’s important: Experts recommended booster doses, especially for this vulnerable population, even before the advent of Omicron. But preliminary data shows that two doses of Pfizer’s vaccine are not very effective against the new alternative, despite three doses.