A year into the coronavirus pandemic, buying a heavy-duty medical mask online remains downright maddening. The most coveted mask to keep safe against Covid-19 has been the N95, the gold standard for pandemic protection because of its tight fit and 95 percent efficiency in filtering airborne particles. Then there’s the KN95 from China, a mask for medical workers, which also offers high filtration and is somewhat looser fitting. When the pandemic hit last year, they immediately became scarce as health care workers and governments rushed to obtain them. Yet even after supplies have improved, it is often not easy to find authentic N95s and KN95s online.

Source: New York Times February 17, 2021 09:56 UTC