A total of 400 million N95 masks will be made available for free starting next week as U.S. health officials assert the importance of wearing highly-protective face coverings during the current omicron surge.
The Biden administration previously announced plans to partner with pharmacies and community health centers to distribute masks from the country's Strategic National Stockpile.
While shipments were expected to begin this week, the program likely won't be fully operational until early February.
Masks will be distributed at health centers and pharmacies enrolled in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, a nationwide program that relies on such entities to help expand COVID-19 vaccine access.
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Here's a list of where you'll be able to find a free N95 mask in Illinois, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Albertsons Companies (including Osco, Jewel-Osco and other subsidiaries)
- Costco
- CPESN USA
- CVS
- Good Neighbor Pharmacy and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation’s pharmacy services administrative organization (PSAO), Elevate Provider Network
- Health Mart Pharmacies
- Hy-Vee
- LeaderNET and The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, Cardinal Health’s PSAOs
- Meijer
- The Kroger Co. (including Kroger, Mariano’s, Pick-n-Save and other brands under the company)
- Piggy Wiggly
- Schnucks
- Walgreens
- Walmart (including Sam’s Club)
To find a health center near you, click here. A full list of which pharmacies and retailers are participating in the program can be found here.
Each resident will be limited to three masks per person to ensure broad access to the program, according to a White House official.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on masks for the general public Jan. 14, saying people "may choose" to wear N95 and KN95 masks because they offer the best protection against Covid. But the agency stopped short of recommending that people seek out certain masks over others.
During the early days of the pandemic, people in the U.S. were urged to leave N95 masks and the KN95 versions made in China for health care workers, according to NBC News. But since then, the U.S. has bolstered its manufacturing capacity, and the country now has a stockpile of 750 million N95 masks as part of the Strategic National Stockpile for health care workers.
Some members of Congress have pressured Biden to more aggressively address the financial cost of Covid tests and masks to shift the burden away from U.S. households. The N95 masks can sell for as little as $1 and be reused several times, but they can add up to be more expensive than reusable cloth masks over time.
