The federal government asked pharmacies to scrounge up the N95 respirators they received and offer them to healthcare providers and health centers.
In a Jan. 19 bulletin, HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration told health centers to ask local pharmacies about their remaining supply of N95 masks and request them for free because HHS distributed them with no cost.
"You may recall that HHS previously distributed free N95 masks," HRSA said, adding that winter COVID-19 cases are prompting the request. "HHS is encouraging pharmacy partners to share their remaining inventory of N95 respirators with healthcare providers and other community agencies and organizations."