The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its mask guidance on Jan. 14, advising more Americans to wear masks such as the N95 or KN95 respirators largely used by health care workers, for the most protection against COVID-19.
Zients added that N95 masks are currently “widely available” in the United States and that the government “has a strong stockpile of over 750 million masks.”
“One of the first things we did when we entered office was to significantly improve our manufacturing and stockpile of all PPE,” he said.
Despite the change in the agency’s mask recommendation, Walensky said that the CDC continues to advise Americans that any mask is better than no mask.
The latest CDC guidance notes that there is a special category of “surgical N95” masks that are specially designed for protection against blood splashes and other operating room hazards. Those aren’t generally available for sale to the public, and should continue to be reserved for health care workers, the agency said.
In an earlier update, CDC officials said disposable N95 masks could be used in certain situations if supplies allowed, including being near large groups of people for extended periods of time on a train, bus, or airplane; taking care of someone in poor health; or being more susceptible to severe illness.
Compared to more commonly worn surgical masks or cloth face coverings, when worn properly, N95s fit more closely to the face and provide at least a 95 percent protection level against airborne viruses, according to the CDC.
“Members of Congress should not have to wear masks manufactured by unfriendly regimes. President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party pose a clear and real threat to our nation, one that must be taken seriously,” reads the letter.
“So, next week, we’ll announce how we’re making high-quality masks available to American people, the American people, for free,” said Biden, who wasn’t wearing a mask while speaking at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on Jan. 13.
The Biden administration, which has been grappling with a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, is responding by expanding access to COVID-19 tests and sending military medical teams to hospitals, among other initiatives.
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