COVID-19 Masks

UPDATE: Genuine made in USA NIOSH approved N95 masks now available:

• Direct from the manufacturer: DemeTECH
• HALYARD (medical grade): Amazon
• Kimtech (Kimberly-Clark): Amazon
• KN95: AccuMed BNX: Amazon

Face masks are a crucial part of minimizing the spread of deadly COVID-19 infection, but poor, fake masks have flooded the market and are a huge problem, thanks to incompetence of the Trump administration, which:

• Failed to update early temporary mask guidance. (Ordinary cloth masks are not terribly effective.)
• Provided little guidance to consumers on how to obtain affordable high-quality masks.

The good news is that genuine, affordable, high-quality masks are now readily available. The bad news is that it's hard to distinguish good from bad.

• The best masks meet the USA N95 standard, but those are still in short supply.
• Good alternatives are those that meet the comparable Chinese KN95 standard.

How to Tell Genuine KN95 Masks

1. Manufacturer appears on the FDA PPE EUA list.
2. Masks (not just packaging) are branded with a China KN95 standard:
• Medical: GB19083-2010
• Non-medical (but still effective against COVID-19): GB2626-2006, GB2626-2019

How to Avoid Fake Masks

1. Manufacturer does not appear on the FDA PPE EUA list.
2. Masks are not branded with a China KN95 standard (listed above).
3. Masks claimed to be GB19083-2010 but "non-medical" (since that is a medical standard).

Tips

• Best filtration is melt-blown fabric in a multi-layer sandwich.
• Carbon filtering is not effective against COVID-19.
• Avoid masks with valves, because they are less effective against spreading infection.

Genuine KN95 Masks

1. Powecom KN95 Protective Face Mask (10-Pack) (white)
2. Chengde Technology KN95 Face Mask 20Pcs (white)
3. ChiSpi KN95 Face Mask 20Pcs (colors)
4. ChiSpi KN95 Face Mask 60Pcs (white)
5. Hotodeal KN95 Face Mask 40 PCs (white)

Disclaimer: Provided as public service, accuracy not guaranteed.