Free N95 masks are coming. Here's where to look for them
Free nonsurgical N95 masks are hitting the shelves at federal pharmacy retail partners this week, following the Biden Administration's announcement earlier this month that more than 400 million masks would be made available to the public.
The masks, which began shipping out last week, will be available at retail locations that participate in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 vaccination. Customers can pick up three masks at participating locations.
CVS Health said that masks should begin arriving in their Target locations as early as Jan. 27.
Pharmacists at the Target CVS on Dressler Road NW in Jackson Township, however, say they aren't going to be carrying the masks and are instead redirecting customers to standalone CVS stores, which they say should have free masks by next week.
Walgreens expects the masks to begin showing up in stores Friday, Jan. 28, and Rite Aid anticipates that all stores should have the free N95s by early February.
CVS and Walgreens both said that stores will have signage posted about mask availability.
Other stores, like Giant Eagle and Discount Drug Mart, are still awaiting mask shipments and don't yet have estimated arrival times. A Giant Eagle representative said they anticipate having a small number of kid-size masks when the shipments do arrive.
A full list of the participating retail pharmacy partners in Ohio is available online at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/retail-pharmacy-program/participating-pharmacies.html.
Masks make a difference
The free masks come as COVID-19 case counts across the country continue to overwhelm hospitals and health care systems. In addition to the free masks, the public is also able to request four at-home COVID-19 tests for free at covidtests.gov.
In recent weeks, the Centers for Disease Control updated its COVID-19 masking guidance to emphasize the relative effectiveness of various mask options.
COVID mask guide for omicron surge: Why N95, KN95 masks are so much more effective than cloth
With the faster-spreading Omicron variant now the dominant strain of COVID-19, health officials are encouraging the public to make use of the most protective masks available. Health officials have warned against cloth masks, saying that N95, KN95 and KF94 masks, when properly fitted, provide better filtration of air to the wearers.
Sam Zern can be reached at szern@cantonrep.com or 330-580-8322. You can also find her on Twitter at @sam_zern.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Free N95 masks are on their way to retail pharmacies around Stark
