The Biden Administration has announced their commitment to releasing high quality free masks to U.S. residents from the government's stock pile. The first round of the 400 million free N95 have begun to get shipped to participating health care facilities and pharmacies. Some areas in the country have the masks already, some don't. Each person will be allowed up to 3 masks. According to White House officials, the full roll out to take place at the top of February.
Preferred by doctors and used by hospital staff, the N95 mask design fits more snugly to the face and is more highly filtered to prevent air born germs and particles from readily entering the nasal area. It was suggested as the more contagious Omicron variant spread across the country.
How often can the N95 or KN95 mask be reused?
In guidance from 2021, The CDC recommended that the re-use of masks is limited. They said masks were intended for single use but can be re-used if there are shortages. The N95 should not be worn more than 5 times.
CVS, Walgreens and Walmart distribute masks in the coming weeks. Kroger grocers that have a pharmacy in them will also serve as distribution point for masks.
The Department of Health and Human Services put out a flyer with a QR Code on it to for additional information about masks.
To find out where masks are being distributed in your area, type "free N95 masks near me" in the Google search.
