Where can I find N95 or KN95 in New York City?

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 New York City to find surgical N95s.  Or you could walk into any hardware stores in New York City 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.

An in-depth look at Covid-19 history in New York City

by Shana Scott

Coronavirus….Covid-19….Pandemic…all words we probably never thought we would hear together in the same sentence. We especially did not expect to encounter this in the modern world and times in the year 2020. However, this was the reality that came like a thief in the night for all of us. The history of COVID-19 in New York City is an especially torrid story. Were we prepared? Did we do everything we could? Could we have prevented it from getting this bad? Will things ever be customary again? All questions we are asking ourselves daily.

 

 The First Official Case

The first official case of COVID-19 in New York City was reported on the 1st of March 2020. A 39-year-old woman who had returned from travels in Iran has begun experiencing respiratory symptoms and was subsequently diagnosed one week post returning to the United States. As of March 2, 2020, there was only a total of 88 confirmed cases across the country.

 

Later research and tracking efforts would reveal that COVID-19 had possibly been in New York City for approximately six weeks before this report. We would later learn that a second confirmed COVID-19 case had actually begun before the first and was treated on February 27 and accordingly released from isolation having tested negative for the flu.

 

At this point, the New York Mayor seemed to have very little concern or insight into what would come. De Blasio is quoted in a Tweet on March 2nd urging New Yorkers to "go on with your lives and get out on the town despite Coronavirus." Could this have had a dramatic effect on the overall situation in New York City? New York City quickly surged to become an epicenter for the coronavirus COVID-19.

 

By March 7th, New York City had confirmed 12 COVID-19 cases as Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency. The subsequent steps of action give the impression of a poorly instituted catch-up plan as opposed to a prevention and containment situation.

 

March 8th saw a change in attitude as new guidelines were issued urging commuters to avoid "densely packed" subways and trains. As the following two weeks progressed, we saw a slow closure of public arenas such as zoos and theatres, schools, and eventually restrictions on pubs and restaurants as the officials came to realize the impact COVID-19 had on New York City.

 

Sadly, the mayor reported the first confirmed death as a result of COVID-19 in New York City via Tweet on March 14th. These numbers would be the beginning of a long battle of a pandemic our generation has never seen.

 

https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/1238848254382653440 (imbed tweet)

 

Finally, a PAUSE was placed in effect for New York City on March 22nd as the decision was made to close all non-essential businesses and urge people to stay at home. As of March 25th, the COVID-19 infection rate in New York City was five times higher than the rest of the country.

 

Still, New York City officials waited until April 15th before an actual mandate was made making it mandatory to wear masks in public. By this point, COVID-19 in New York City had surpassed 15,000 confirmed cases.

 PPE Shortages in New York City

As early as February 7th officials had attempted to purchase N95 masks but learned that vendors were out of stock. There are multiple reports of vendors offering supplies in as little as 24 hours but then it took up to 3 days for the DCAS to place an order. It was apparent how dire the shortage of PPE in New York City was when the mayor's office took over the process of procurement in mid-March. At this time de Blasio confirmed that without federal intervention New York City would run out of PPE.

 

A further scandal ensued as $69 million was paid to an engineer for 1000 ventilators that were not provided. This is only one instance in a long line of fraudulent plans to acquire monies for fake or non-existent PPE nationwide.

 

As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, emergency personnel had their fill and were ready to throw in the gloves. Before New York City could see the 30-day mark from the first confirmed COVID-19 case, reports were filed for everything from being demanded to work unless confirmed positive to being forced to expose themselves to the virus without the proper protective gear.

 

25 March 2020 brought us news of a nurse who had passed away due to coronavirus COVID-19 in New York after a lack of PPE in hospitals. Nurses at Mount Sinai West posed in garbage bags with captions relating to the shortage of PPE available. The overwhelming feeling of inadequate support from city officials began to fall in line with the evidence of shortages at an alarming rate. 

 

Reports have come about stating a startling amount of $1 billion worth of PPE having been stockpiled for the second wave of Covid-19. This falls short of the amounts the city truly needs. So while officials claim victory in the face of the public, EMS workers across the board are scrambling and fearful of what lies ahead.

 

As of January 23, 2021, New York City has over 569,000 confirmed coronavirus COVID-19 cases with a traumatic 26,500 subsequent deaths. The numbers continue to climb daily as the CDC now announces a delay in the vaccines for the city.

 

It doesn't seem like the pandemic is ending anytime soon as we wait impatiently to hear towards which direction we are moving. Schools continue to be postponed and EMS workers take to the media to voice their concerns and complaints. Could officials have done better to combat COVID-19 in New York City? Was a failure to act fast enough and stringent enough to blame for the alarming rate at which COVID-19 spread in New York City? And what difference will proper quality and supplies of PPE make in the coming months as we continue to fight COVID-19?

 

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.  

 

Home Depot	Unavailable
Lowes	Unavailable
Ace Hardware	Data Unavailable
True Value	Data Unavailable
Rite Aid	Data Unavailable
Walgreen	Data Unavailable
CVS	Data Unavailable
Local Pharmacy or medical supply	Call to ask

 

Our Link is Recommended by Past US Assistant Surgeon General