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Coronavirus U.S. & World

Biden administration to give out free N95 masks. Here’s where to find them

One day after free COVID-19 tests became available, free N95 masks will be made free, too

By Herb Scribner Herb Scribnerhscribner@deseretnews.com
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Linsey Jones wears an N95 mask.

Linsey Jones, a medical assistant working at a drive-up COVID-19 testing clinic, wears an N95 mask, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, in Puyallup, Wash., south of Seattle. Free N95 masks will soon be made available, according to Biden administration officials.

Ted S. Warren, Associated Press

The Biden administration will make 400 million N95 masks available to Americans for free beginning next week.

The news: The U.S. government will make the masks available at local pharmacies and health centers.

  • The program will likely be “fully up and running by early February,” a White House official told CNN.
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Why it matters: The highly-transmissible omicron variant has caused experts to recommend N95 masks as the proper mask to use to stay safe from infection. The U.S. government’s decision to release them for free means more Americans can stay protected against omicron.

Flashback: Last week, the Biden administration announced Americans can order free at-home COVID-19 test kits from the government, as I reported for the Deseret News. The website to order those COVID-19 test kits went live Tuesday.

  • You can visit the U.S. Postal Service’s website to order free at-home COVID-19 testing kits.
  • The free COVID-19 tests will ship within seven to 12 days from the day you order.
  • Families can currently order up to four at-home rapid COVID-19 tests per household, according to the Biden administration.

More info: We’ve done some reporting on N95 masks. Visit the links below for more information.