The White House will give out 400 million free N95 masks starting next week
The Biden administration will make 400 million N95 masks available for free at thousands of locations across the US.
@jopanuwatd/Twenty20
Beginning next week, Americans will be able to get free N95 masks at pharmacies and health centers across the country. Experts say N95 face masks are far more effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19, especially compared to regular cloth counterparts.
The Biden administration announced Wednesday that the masks will come from the government's Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the masks already on hand. The N95s will be available for pickup at pharmacies and other community health centers throughout the U.S. and will be shipping for distribution starting late next week. The administration hopes to have the new mask program fully functional and operational next month.
Our Administration is making 400 million N95 masks from the Strategic National Stockpile available for free to Americans.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 19, 2022
N95 masks will be available for the public to pick up at tens of thousands of local pharmacies and health centers.
Dr. Tom Inglesby, the administration's Covid testing coordinator, recently said in an interview, "We know that these masks provide better protection than cloth masks." Per NBC News, Inglesby is "confident that people who want to access them will be able to access them," but it was not immediately clear how many masks a person could receive at one time.
The free N95 masks are the latest development in the Biden administration's new Covid mitigation efforts. On Tuesday, the federal website where Americans can order free at-home Covid tests went live. According to the website, "Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests are completely free. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days."
🚨 Breaking - the @WhiteHouse will make 400 million N95 masks available to the public for free starting next week. These masks come from the 750 million stored in the Strategic National Stockpile. Remember: N95s offer the best protection. pic.twitter.com/TYkyNbQ6kF
— Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta) January 19, 2022
Public health experts have been urging President Biden to encourage people to wear N95 or KN95 masks over cloth masks as the highly contagious omicron variant has caused hospitalization numbers to soar.
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on masks , saying people "may choose" to wear N95 and KN95 masks because they offer the best protection against Covid. But so far, the CDC isn't recommending that people seek out certain masks over others.
This push for 400 million free N95 masks will be the largest distribution of free masks by the federal government to the public since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
If you still need to stock up for your kiddos though, we've rounded up some of the best places to find high-quality masks right now. Shop them below!
KN95 face masks for kids
Surgical face masks for kids
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