Livingston Co. distributes KN95 masks to its residents amid omicron spike

Livingston County, N.Y. — Livingston County handed out KN95 masks Thursday afternoon to residents that live in areas with high COVID risk.

It is one of the several counties making sure residents can access these masks that health experts say give better protection against the omicron variant.

Livingston Co. resident Esther Howell was glad to pick up KN95 masks in the Town of Portage on Thursday.

“It’s great because I have been staying close to home," said Howell.

The extra protection has Howell feeling safer against COVID-19.

RIT science professor André Hudson agrees that its time to upgrade face masks, ideally one with a filter, like a KN95.

"They are made for specific reasons. They are made to filter out 95% percent of particulate matter in the air," said Hudson.

He says a simple cloth masks might not be enough to protect against omicron, which is more contagious than previous strains of COVID.

"Most cloths are breathable materials. They are made to allow airflow because typically they are for clothes or other things they are not for filtering particulate matter," said Hudson.

The most important thing when picking out a mask is making sure it covers your mouth and nose, and fits tightly on your face. Another good option is to layer a mask with a cloth mask to give it a closer fit.

University of Rochester Medical Center Director of Infection Prevention Lynne Brown says most masks can offer protection against omicron, as long as they are worn properly.

"If you choose to wear a cloth mask rather than a medical grade mask, you want to make sure you wear a cloth mask with multiple layers of tightly woven fabric and you want to make sure it is well fitted around your face," said Brown.

These kinds of KN95 masks are in high demand.

Livingston County plans to distribute more to residents in the coming days.

Here's a list of where to find a KN95 mask in the Rochester region.