Where can I find N95 or KN95 in Atlanta?

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This is one of the most frequently asked questions that we received as a company.  In pre-pandemic times, you could walk into a medical supply store in Atlanta to find surgical N95s.  Or you could walk into any hardware stores in Atlanta to find NIOSH N95s.  Now it has become like a treasure hunt depending on your city.  Well let us help you find it in your city.  Using data scraping and web automation tools, we’ll search and update this page with stores that offer N95 or KN95 in your city.  We can’t guarantee that it is quality, but we can tell you that you might be able to buy it if you walk into a store.

A History of COVID-19 in Atlanta

by Shana Scott

Atlanta is home to the Braves, the college football Hall of Fame, and those delicious peaches, many will now remember COVID-19 in Atlanta as well. While so many believed the New Year would bring new hope, we were given rather a new worry. As many as 4 new variants of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 have been found worldwide, the B.1.1.7 UK variant showing up in Atlanta.

 

The First Case of COVID-19 in Atlanta

 

 

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Atlanta was a resident who had recently traveled to Italy. Officials announced the positive case on March 2, 2020. A second confirmed case came through at the same time as the residents lived together. It was reported that both were self-isolating along with other family members.

Governor Kemp confirmed the first death related to COVID-19 in Atlanta and surrounding areas on March 12, 2020. The deceased was a male in his late 60’s with underlying health conditions. While Kemp expressed that residents could not be “too cautious,” the Governor would show a failure to take some of the extreme measures that other states took to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

By late October, a third of counties in Georgia reported higher per capita COVID-19 case rates than New York City.

Government Response to COVID-19 in Atlanta

 

 

On March 15, 2020, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms banned all large public gatherings. In the same notification, the mayor declared a state of emergency in response to COVID-19 in Atlanta.

Mayor Bottoms would take further steps to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Atlanta on March 20. Clubs and bars, along with gyms, movie theaters, and more were ordered to close to the public while restaurants were restricted to take-away and drive-thru services only. According to Atlanta’s charter, the mayor can use “extraordinary police power” in the situation of an emergency.

A stay-at-home order would go into effect on March 23 for 14-days asking all Atlanta residents to stay home except for essential needs. No included in the order were parks for outdoor recreations as long as residents stayed a minimum of 6 feet apart.

Mayor Bottoms warned in response to COVID-19 in Atlanta that ICU beds in the city had already reached capacity by March 23, 2020. Bottoms voiced fear of a collapse in regards to the state’s healthcare system.

On July 6, Mayor Bottoms tested positive for COVID-19. At the same time, officials called the Governors reopening plan rushed and a mistake.

 

Mayor Bottoms Defends Mask Mandate

In a surprising turn of events, Mayor Bottoms went against Governor Kemp in issuing a city-wide mask mandate. On July 8, the mayor signed an executive order that violated the governor’s stance in regards to masks. Governor Kemp felt that masks needed to remain optional.

While the Governor was vocal about encouraging masks, he claimed that Bottoms mandate went against his ban on local governments requiring face coverings. Bottoms was hailed as making hard decisions to protect the city and residents.

In response to Bottoms announcing a roll-back to phase 1 of Atlanta’s reopening, Governor Kemp tweeted stating that the mandate was “nonbinding and legally unenforceable.”

 

PPE Shortages in Atlanta

 

 

The PPE shortages seen nationwide did not leave Atlanta untouched. Homer Bryson, director at GEMA, confirmed that occurring PPE had been a struggle.

In light of the PPE shortage, many Atlanta businesses chose to remain closed even after restrictions were lifted. Owners stated that they would not have felt comfortable taking PPE away from health care workers who needed it.

Mayor Bottoms was quoted saying, “As Mayor, I’m struggling to get PPE for my sanitation workers.” One Atlanta nurse spoke of the extreme measures health care workers were going to in regards to PPE shortages and highlighted that in fear of future shortages some staff had gone as far as hiding masks.

Christopher Parris was arrested in April 2020 on suspicion of fraudulent action in regards to face masks and PPE orders that would have totaled over $750 million.

 

COVID-19 in Atlanta

As of February 15, 2021, there were over 82, 500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Atlanta and more than 1,000 COVID-19 related deaths. As a whole, the state of Georgia had an 11.1% positive rate.

By February 2, 2021, Atlanta had reported 19 cases of the new B.1.1.7 UK strain of COVID-19. It is expected that a second surge would become a reality by March.

Experts are claiming that if Georgia does not clamp down on the need to wear a mask then the new strain could prolong the pandemic. Have Georgia officials learned from their mistakes in the first round?

 

 

Potential KN95 or N95 in your city.

Home Improvement:

https://www.homedepot.com/

Home Depot sells HDX N95 respirator for 10 pieces/$17.97 which places each piece per mask at $1.80 per piece.  This is a good price for an N95. This is a private label Makrite respirator which unfortunately has a history of counterfeit.

Home Depot sells Makrite Sekura Flat Fold N95 respirator for 8 pieces/$12.97 which places each piece per mask at $1.62 per piece.  This is a good price for an N95. This is a Makrite respirator which unfortunately has a history of counterfeit.

 

https://www.lowes.com/

Lowes sells KN95 made by Xam-Med for 10 pieces/$12.49 which places each piece per mask at $1.24 per piece.  This is not an FDA authorized KN95 and the quality is not known.

Lowes sells N95 made by Dasheng for 5 pieces/$7.49 which places each piece per mask at $1.49 per piece.  This is a good price for an N95. This is a Dasheng respirator which unfortunately has a history of counterfeit.  

 

https://www.truevalue.com/

TrueValue sells KN95 made by Devon Medical for 5 pieces/$39.99 which places each piece per mask at $7.99 per piece.  This is not an FDA authorized KN95 and the quality is not known.  Also, TrueValue does NOT show in store availability.

TrueValue sells KN95 made by Co-win Group Limited for 10 pieces/$28.99 which places each piece per mask at $2.89 per piece.  This is not an FDA authorized KN95 and the quality is not known.  Also, TrueValue does NOT show in store availability.

 

https://www.acehardware.com/

Ace sells KN95 made by World Tech for 2 pieces/$2.79 which places piece per mask cost at $1.40 per piece.  This is not an FDA authorized KN95 and the quality is not known.  Also, Ace does NOT show in store availability.

Ace also sells KN95 made by Makrite for  2 pieces/$2.79 which places each piece per mask at $1.40 per piece.  This is not an FDA authorized KN95 and the quality is not known.  However, Makrite is a well known brand in the respirator industry.  Unfortunately, Makrite has been plagued by counterfeit respirators recently.  Also, Ace does NOT show in store availability.

Pharmacies:

Most large chain pharmacies do not list their KN95 or N95 availability.  There have been internet rumors about availability in these stores, but we cannot verify this in your city.

https://www.riteaid.com/

https://www.walgreens.com/

https://www.cvs.com/

 

Many smaller chain pharmacies and medical supplies stores will commonly carry KN95.  Most of the brands are NOT FDA authorized and we recommend caution from using them as healthcare workers.