Congress Is Providing KN95 Masks To Lawmakers For Covid Protection. What About The Rest of Us?

[appalachiablue]

- People receive boxes of KN95 face masks at a back-to-school event- school supplies, COVID-19 vaccinations, face masks & other resources for children & their families at the Weingart-East LA YMCA in CA, Aug. 7, 2021.
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- Truthout, Jan. 11, 2022. - Ed. 'Congress Is Providing KN95s to Lawmakers. What About the Rest of Us?' Jake Johnson, Common Dreams, Jan. 10, 2021.

With Capitol Hill — like much of the United States — experiencing a major spike in Covid-19 cases, members of Congress and their offices are reportedly set to receive KN95 masks to help stem the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant. The public, meanwhile, has largely been left to fend for itself as much of Congress and the Biden administration ignore calls for action to ensure widespread distribution of high-quality masks.

According to an email sent to House staffers last week and obtained by the Washington Post, “The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) has updated its PPE monthly allotment program to include KN95 masks for all House offices” as experts warn that widely used cloth masks are less effective at preventing Omicron transmission.

“The Office of Attending Physician (OAP) supports CDC guidelines recommending the use of a face cover such as the KN95 mask when in public spaces, particularly when a six-foot separation cannot be maintained between two individuals,” reads the email, which was sent after the U.S. Capitol’s attending physician raised alarm over an “unprecedented” surge in coronavirus infections.

Under the new allotment program, each House office in Washington, D.C. will get 40 KN95 masks per month.“This is so grotesque,” said Yale epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves. “Members of Congress (and White House staff) have full access to good masks (and I bet tests too!). The little people — meaning the rest of us — are on our own.” Abraar Karan, a physician and infectious disease expert at Stanford University, noted in response to the new House safety protocol that “there are unprecedented infections around the entire country!” - “What about the general public?” he asked...

- Read More,
https://truthout.org/articles/congress-is-providing-kn95s-to-lawmakers-what-about-the-rest-of-us/

[Budi]

1. Leave it to Commondreams...

Now they're 'concerned' about the condition of the American citizens?

Thanks for the hellhole we're living in! BTW.
You played a role in this as well.
Maybe just own your part.
👎

[JohnSJ]

2. Thank-you

[Hortensis]

3. Go buy some. And please don't imagine a RW authoritarian state

will be providing them to "us." Exactly to the contrary. Congress began doing its duty to the people when Democrats became the majority. Before that the only way we got them to support Covid emergency relief to the people, instead of just business, was by allowing the funneling of billions to RW special interests.

With the midterms rushing toward us, everyone might want to start setting up a Covid savings account in case Republicans win and pull the plug on "free" vaccines and medical care, as they intend to do.

[RAB910]

4. I don't get this, buy your own KN-95 masks

I did, and now they are not even all that expensive.

I will also say because a KN-95 mask does restrict breathing more than a cloth or surgical mask, I would be hesitant to just give them out. You give them out and someone has suffered an anxiety attack or worse that attack leads to a heart attack or if the person passes out or whatever, then you will get blamed.

Technically higher level masks are not supposed to be issued without a physical/medical screening clearing the wearer medical to wear it.

[PortTack]

6. Agree...they readily available

[appalachiablue]

8. Where's that, I'd really appreciate knowing, tx. See #7

[appalachiablue]

7. There's confusion and lack of available info. about

where to purchase quality masks, what types are best, along with how to avoid counterfeits.

Big Box retail stores are often out of stock, Amazon is claimed to be inundated with 'fakes' although I have found and bought CDC/NIOSH- Approved KN94 and N95 masks from them for months and verified standards on the CDC website list.

Drugstores and pharmacies are now selling home Covid test kits. They have sold health supplies for some time- glucose/diabetes tests, blood pressure cuff meters, alcohol breath tests, Ace bandages, canes, alcohol hand sanitizer, medical gloves and more. Why not Masks? All I've ever seen in CVS and Walgreens, if anything is a small rack with a limited supply of flimsy, colorful cloth masks, mostly for children.

*In the Wash. Post article posted here #5, there's more information about the subject, including a group/project that sells N95s at low cost, and US cities, states and communities that are providing masks and other resources.

Where did you purchase your masks?

[RAB910]

9. I bought mine early on, and I got them from a company that just sold masks

I worked with the list of approved KN-95 masks to ensure they were legit.

I have purchased masks from work from Amazon. I think if you stick with highly rated sellers and don't look for a super bargain, you can find quality masks.

Currently, if you might want to buy from this list

https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-kn95-masks-for-covid-protection.html

[appalachiablue]

10. Thanks, good to know & I'll keep this for reference.

[Rebl2]

11. I am a

small woman that needs children size masks and my husband found them on Amazon a couple weeks ago and ordered them for me.

[appalachiablue]

13. Good, another resource for childrens' size masks:

You know to make sure they're well made, CDC/NIOSH approved if N95 or NN95, K94. The *CDC Website for checking NIOSH approval, mask manufacturers & models is further down in the long DU post below.

> *New York Magazine, Jan. 6, 2022. *'The Best KN95 Masks for COVID Protection.' As the highly contagious Omicron variant continues to infect record nos. of people across the US, finding the best mask to help stop the spread is more important now than ever. Any mask is still better than none, but doctors and public-health experts now recommend putting aside fabric masks in favor of ones that offer higher filtration like KN95s, KF94s, and N95s.
“Even though this variant may be milder, it spreads much more easily (replicating 70 x faster in our airways) and in unvaccinated and high-risk individuals can still be very dangerous,” says Dr. Purvi Parikh, an immunologist with NYU Langone Health..

*Adult & Kid's Masks pictured with info., source, pricing...
More, https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-kn95-masks-for-covid-protection.html
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- CDC Weighs Recommending Better Masks For Omicron Variant; *Masks, Health Supplies, Info. Sources
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016310806

[appalachiablue]

5. CDC Weighs Recommending Better Masks Against Omicron Variant: Washington Post

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- 'CDC weighs recommending better masks against omicron variant.' Jan. 10, '22. -Ed. Agency is likely to say that people who can consistently wear N95 or KN95 masks, rather than cloth masks, should do so. Washington Post.

The CDC is considering updating its mask guidance to recommend that people opt for the highly protective N95 or KN95 masks worn by health-care personnel, if they can do so consistently, said an official close to the deliberations who was not authorized to speak publicly. With the highly transmissible omicron variant spurring record levels of infections and hospitalizations, experts have repeatedly urged the Biden administration to recommend the better-quality masks rather than cloth coverings to protect against an airborne virus, and to underscore the importance of masking.

“The agency is currently actively looking to update its recommendations for KN95 & N95 in light of omicron,” the official said. “We know these masks provide better filtration.” When the CDC issued its initial mask guidance in 2020, health officials did not urge the use of the more protective face coverings out of concern that health workers might be unable to get them. But health officials said there are no longer serious shortages of N95 masks... “That note of trying to save N95s for health-care workers is just grossly out of date,” said Michael Osterholm, who leads the Univ. of Minn. Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy and advised President Biden’s transition team on the coronavirus response.

N95 masks are approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (*NIOSH) and are designed to filter up to 95% of particles, according to the CDC.

KN95s are supposed to meet a comparable Chinese standard, but there is no Chinese regulatory agency ensuring that, said Anne Miller, exec. director of Project N95, a nonprofit organization that distributes free N95s & children’s masks in the U.S. *The CDC has warned that about 60% of KN95s in the U.S. are counterfeit. However, there are U.S. firms that make KN95s that are of high quality, Miller said. “Omicron is very transmissible through shared air,” said Julia Raifman, an asst. prof. at Boston Univ. School of Public Health. “Mask policies that ensure people with covid & people around them are wearing high-quality masks do the most to reduce covid spread,” she said, adding that other countries, such as South Korea & Japan, have done much more to make the masks widely available.

- The government should not only recommend high-quality masks, she added, but also make them available and required in workplaces. -

Last week, following a spate of breakthrough cases among vaccinated staff & lawmakers in the U.S. Capitol, congressional staff were told KN95 masks would be provided to House staff.. Some state & local officials have also recently encouraged people to upgrade their masks. The Milwaukee health department just started handing out a half-million free N95 masks at testing & vaccination sites & public libraries...Miller said there are many U.S. manufacturers of N95 masks & an ample supply. Project N95 sells the masks at low prices & has also distributed more than 2.5 million N95s and quality children’s masks to people in need...

More, https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/01/10/cdc-weighs-n95-kn95-masks-guidance-omicron/
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- 'N95 Masks vs. KN95 Masks: Which Ones Work Best to Protect You Against Covid?' Rolling Stone, Dec. 31, 2021. Vaccinations may be going up but don’t drop that mask just yet. Researchers say an N95 mask is still the most effective form of protection as Delta variant and Omicron concerns linger.
https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/lifestyle/n95-vs-kn95-masks-1044184/


- DMB Supply.

[Donkees]

12. Bernie: I will be introducing legislation tomorrow for N95 masks to be sent to every household ...

All Americans should have face masks that will keep them safe. I will be introducing legislation tomorrow for N95 masks to be sent to every household in the country. This will save lives and reduce health care costs.

Link to tweet

[appalachiablue]

14. Glad to see it, good for Bernie, legislators &

doctors working on this effort.

'Project95' a good resource for low cost masks & health supplies I just learned about. https://www.projectn95.org/

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016310806