For further information about the NIOSH-approved specific N95 respirator masks, as well as approved manufacturers and distributors, refer to the CDC’s list of N95 Masks, which also provides model numbers. When shopping for N95 masks, you may want to consult the CDC’s list of NIOSH-approved N95 respirators to verify the masks you are looking at have been tested and conformed to NIOSH regulations. You still will want to check to see that your N95 mask is industrial-grade, is listed as NIOSH-approved, and provides a good, snug fit around your face. While the N95 respirators are best-in-class, you can still get the protection level and fit with other methods of masks.
According to CDC, the most effective mask to protect against COVID-19 is a respirator that has been approved by the National Institutes of Health, like an N95. In its guidance on face masks to consumers, CDC notes that N95 and other NIOSH-approved respirators are the most protective options. For the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Americans that respirators–N95s and KN95s, among others–offer better protection than cloth face coverings, stopping short of explicitly recommending one face covering over another. According to CDC, N95 and KN95 face masks provide better protection from COVID-19 than a standard cloth face mask.
N95 masks provide the best protection from COVID-19 because they are designed to filter out at least 95% of all airborne particles larger than 0.3 microns while masks form a tight seal over the face. While any mask is better than none, it is a known fact that N95 options are the most ideal for protecting you and others from Covid-19. NIOSH regulates products for adults only — so, although N95 masks may not be an option for your children, the KN95 or protective KF94 masks designed for smaller faces or children are alternative solutions. Either way, the N95, and KN95 options are much more effective than cloth, surgical-style ones, and definitely better than not wearing a face mask at all.
Among the more protective facial covers are N95 high-filtration masks, which CDC notes are also effective enough that health care workers use them for us as well (but remember, they are not surgical masks). KN95 masks are designed to offer a protective effect that is closer to the one provided by an N95 respirator, which is regulated by CDCs National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Well-fitting N95 masks approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) – such as those distributed by the Biden administration to the general public – provide adults with the highest levels of protection from Covid-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC recommends that you do not use N95 respirators that say “surgical” on their names because health care workers need to receive these masks first.
Below, check out seven NIOSH-approved N95 masks that you can purchase online for protection from spiking COVID-19 cases, including Delta and Omicron variations. If you are feeling overwhelmed with all of the choices out there, and need a few masks that are as much about convenience as they are about protection, Instocking LLC has put together our favorite selections of N95 and KN95 masks you can buy online for protection against the Omicron variant, as well as all its subvariants.