As COVID omicron spreads, free N95 masks are due for arrival in Stanislaus County
A well-fitted N95 mask is another layer of protection against catching the omicron variant of COVID-19 and is safer than a cloth mask that might have been sufficient against delta, health experts say.
Patterson will distribute N95 masks to its residents Tuesday at a drive-through at the Hammon Senior Center, at 1033 W. Las Palmas Ave.
The distribution, limited to four masks per vehicle, will run from 9 a.m. until the supply is gone.
Stanislaus County public health allocated 600 masks to Patterson after the N95s were offered to cities for distribution to their residents. The city has been the only municipality to request the masks from the county.
The county also offered the protective masks to community groups and nonprofit organizations, spokeswoman Kamlesh Kaur said Friday.
The use of higher-quality masks became a recommendation after the omicron strain took hold in December because of its tendency to spread more quickly, cause more COVID reinfections and infect people who are vaccinated.
Though the omicron variant is shown to cause less severe illness, it may infect a larger number of vulnerable people and lead to serious complications for some of them.
“People at risk of serious illness should take all the precautions to protect themselves against COVID-19 regardless of the variant,” Kaur said.
In Stanislaus County, COVID-19 hospital admissions have more than tripled with the omicron surge. COVID admissions rose to 292 on Tuesday before dropping to 268 on Friday, with 47 patients in intensive care units, according to the county’s online dashboard.
More than 1,200 new cases and two deaths were reported in the county’s update Friday.
The National Institutes of Health has cited studies on the unusual blood clotting in some people with COVID-19, which may damage organs or cause heart attacks and strokes. The blood clots are possibly triggered by the high level of inflammation that’s notorious with COVID-19 disease.
According to the NIH, the risk of COVID-induced blood clots may be higher in people who have blood-vessel damage from high blood pressure or diabetes.
A study published in the The Lancet in August, looking at 86,742 patients with COVID-19 in Sweden, concluded the virus increased the risk of heart attack and stroke. Health experts are hoping to get a clearer understanding of omicron-infected patients who are seriously ill.
NIH acting director Lawrence Tabak wrote in a Jan. 18 blog that research thus far indicates the omicron variant produces less severe illness but “there’s still a tremendous amount of research to be done that could change how we view omicron.”
Tabak added: “What won’t change, though, is that vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and others against COVID-19.”
A high-quality mask is an additional way to avoid the virus as omicron stays around for what may be several more weeks.
County health services built a supply of N95 masks and other personal protective equipment in the early stage of the pandemic in 2020, when hospitals were rationing and recycling masks for their employees and community members were not advised to wear N95s.
The county is releasing some of the stock of N95 masks, but it would not say how many are available. Kaur said the county wanted to let community groups and cities put in requests.
Federal government shipping masks
Californians soon will have increased access to the highly sought-after N95 masks for free at local health centers and pharmacies.
President Joe Biden’s administration announced that 400 million N95 masks from the Strategic National Stockpile would be shipped to pharmacies and community health centers across the country by the end of last week. This comes after health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed that N95s provide the highest level of protection from COVID-19.
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, the masks are approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and will be shipped to 100 to 200 health centers in the initial phase, including 18 in California. These facilities will likely receive and distribute the respirators by the end of January.
The program is not expected to be fully running until February. Then, the HRSA anticipates that masks will be available to all health centers and similar facilities that wish to order them. Most pharmacies that partner with the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program will be distributing these free N95 masks, McClatchy reported.
FRPP partner pharmacies in California include Rite Aid, Walgreens, Albertsons, Kroger, Walmart and more. The HRSA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will expand the free mask program to more health centers in the coming weeks, according to the administration.
Rite Aid will provide free N95 masks through its partnership with the FRPP. According to an email statement, the retailer anticipates the masks will be available in stores starting at the end of this week. Customers can get them at the front checkout or pharmacy counter while supplies last. The limit: three per person.
Walgreens will provide N95 masks in various sizes for free at participating locations, while supplies last, with some stores beginning to offer the masks Friday, a spokesperson said. CVS Health expected pharmacy locations would receive N95s from the federal government as early as Thursday.
People going to pharmacies were advised to look for signs or a mask table or inquire at checkout counters.
This story was originally published January 30, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
