Distribution of free N95 masks to the public began this week across the United States, with some pharmacies already handing out the masks and others hoping to do so in the coming days.
The program is part of the Biden administration’s effort to distribute 400 million free N95 masks from the Strategic National Stockpile through pharmacies and community health centers. The program is expected to be fully operational in early February.
The masks are arriving at their destinations accompanied by flyers and posters from the US Department of Health and Human Services, which has paid for the masks.
Here’s what you need to know to get a free N95 mask:
Where can I find free N95 masks?
The masks will be available at a number of local pharmacies and community health centers, a White House official told Citizen Free Press.
Participating pharmacies include Hy-Vee, Meijer, CVS, Walgreens and Kroger.
Some of the first masks arrived in the Midwest on Friday, including at Hy-Vee grocery stores in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Nebraska and at Meijer stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana. , Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.
The masks are also expected to begin arriving at Southeastern Grocers stores beginning this Friday, and will be available at Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie pharmacies.
CVS pharmacies are also expected to receive and begin distributing free N95 masks in the coming weeks as the supply from the federal government arrives, spokesman Matt Blanchette told Citizen Free Press on Monday.
Walgreens expects the free N95 masks to be available at some locations beginning Friday, according to a company spokesperson.
“We are pleased to partner with the Administration to make N95 masks in various sizes available for free at participating Walgreens locations while supplies last,” a Walgreens spokesperson wrote in an email to Citizen Free Press on Monday.
“Customers and patients can pick up a maximum of three masks per person,” the email stated. “We expect the first stores to begin offering masks on Friday, January 28, and will continue on an ongoing basis in the days and weeks to come. Participating stores will have signs indicating mask availability.”
Kroger stores with pharmacies also plan to distribute free N95 masks, according to a company statement Monday.
“Wearing a mask and getting vaccinated remain the number one defense tools in our nation’s fight against COVID-19. I encourage everyone to take advantage of free N95 masks and make an appointment today to get vaccinated or boosted,” said the statement written by Dr. Marc Watkins, Kroger’s chief medical officer.
Community health centers are also expected to distribute masks, but on a smaller scale.
The first 100 centers to participate in the federal government’s free N95 mask program will begin this week, Amy Simmons Farber, a spokeswoman for the National Association of Community Health Centers, wrote in an email to Citizen Free Press on Monday.
The Health Resources and Services Administration oversees the Community Health Centers program for the federal government and notes on its website that the HRSA Health Centers COVID-19 N95 Mask Program will begin on a phased basis, providing masks N95 to about 100 to 200 health centers in the initial phase.
“These health centers should receive and start distributing the masks before the end of January 2022,” according to the agency.
Farber added that the Health Resources and Services Administration anticipates that the masks will be available to all health centers in mid-February.
How many masks can I get?
The HHS brochure distributed with the free masks notes that there are up to three masks “available for each person in the United States.”
Pharmacies plan to monitor how many masks people are wearing at one time to make sure they don’t take more.
There have been no problems with people trying to take more than the allotted number of N95 masks at Hy-Vee locations, a company spokesperson told Citizen Free Press on Monday.
“Each Hy-Vee store has employees designated to hand deliver up to three masks per person; we have not had any issues with people trying to take more than the HHS-provided limit of three,” Hy-Vee spokeswoman Christina Gayman wrote in an email.
“There are also extra N95 masks for sale in our pharmacies if people want/need more.”
If they are free, who has paid for them?
The masks come from the US Strategic National Stockpile, maintained by HHS, meaning the federal government has paid for them.
“This effort represents the largest deployment of the Strategic National Stockpile to date and is also the largest deployment of personal protective equipment in US history,” Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the HHS, in a blog.
The 400 million N95 masks account for more than half of the 750 million stored in the Strategic National Stockpile, a number that tripled last year as the White House tried to increase stockpiles.
Does this mean that I should no longer use other types of masks?
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stress that “any mask is better than none.”
The CDC recommends that Americans wear “the most protective mask you can afford, that fits well, and that you will wear consistently,” noting that different types of masks can offer different levels of protection.
According to the CDC, “loose cloth products offer the least protection, thin layered knit products offer the most protection, well-fitting disposable surgical masks and KN95s offer the most protection, and NIOSH-approved respirators (including N95) with a tight fit offer the highest level of protection.”
“Some masks and respirators offer higher levels of protection than others, and some may be more difficult to tolerate or wear consistently than others,” the CDC guidelines say. “The most important thing is to wear a well-fitting mask or respirator correctly that is comfortable for you and provides good protection.”
By having a better fit and having certain materials — such as polypropylene fibers — that act as both mechanical and electrostatic barriers, N95 masks help better prevent tiny particles from entering the nose or mouth. They must fit the face to be effective.
“The CDC continues to recommend that any mask is better than none. And we encourage all Americans to wear a well-fitting mask to protect themselves and prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC Director, at a briefing this month. “And that recommendation is not going to change.”