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By now, all travelers know to upgrade their cloth or surgical masks to something of a much higher caliber like a KN95 or better yet, an N95. But you have to wear them properly otherwise it’s not effective (here’s how to wear an N95 properly). N95s were in short supply when the pandemic began but production has ramped up and now the federal government is going to start giving away 400 million of these for free at many pharmacies around the country so you can save some money.
According to CBS News: “Major pharmacy chains said they expect to start distributing the free face coverings this week. The effort comes as public health experts encourage the use of higher quality masks, including N95 respirators.”
This is all part of the federal government’s Federal Retail Pharmacy Program (FRRP) and the CDC has a list of the 21 national pharmacy partners and independent pharmacy networks on their website where you can find the masks and vaccines and you can even search by state. There are too many to list but all the expected places are listed like CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens.
Walgreens stated in an email to CNN per ABC News that “Customers and patients can pick up a maximum of three masks per person.” Also: “We expect the first stores to begin offering masks on Friday, Jan. 28, and will continue on a rolling basis in the days and weeks following. Participating stores will have signage indicating mask availability.”
I imagine there’s going to be a huge rush on them so if you can’t get one or need more than three, then you can find them online on Amazon. Below are links to the ones that a doctor told us in an interview she recommends since there are so many fakes out there.
KN95 adult face mask
KF94 adult face mask
Kids KN95 face mask
Kids KF94 face mask
We got our K95 masks today at the grocery store. There was a man who was giving them out. First of all, they were so tight we could hardly get them on. It took a few minutes. Next, the thick metal nose piece was terribly uncomfortable. It cut into my nose. I have a very narrow nose bridge and usually have trouble being fit for glasses. When I tried to pull it down to a less bony portion of my nose, it pressed my nostrils she, making it difficult to breathe. If my nose is hurting and I am having trouble breathing, how long do you think I will wear this mask. Also, it pushed my glasses up so that I was seeing through the lower part of my trifocals, therefore not seeing well at all. I wore it during my entire shopping expedition, and when I took it off I had marks and indentations in my nose and skin. I have heard that these are cheap masks from China. They obviously are made for Chinese people with flatter noses and faces. They certainly don’t fit a “western” face with bonier, thinner nose bridges and more rounded faces. I will definitely not be using my masks. What a waste of the country’s money! I will use my much more comfortable KN95 masks.