Actually the public can buy N95 masks at home depot walgreens and the like and it does affect our supply. I know what legit N95 masks look like and I saw plenty on people at the grocery store yesterday. Most worn wrong I might add. In addition plain surgical masks are also in short supply in the hospitals and I saw even more of those on the general public yesterday. It is hurting our safety in hospitals
I have not seen a N95 mask or a surgical mask IN STOCK at ANY retail point of sale for weeks. Nor has anyone I know. Since this thing has started I have seen exactly TWO N95’s on people in stores, and I have a friend who says he’s used his (high risk comorbidity person, BTW). He has a handful because he was in the construction business and found them in storage. I got mine from a person who had a few left from fires in her area, and was willing to share, given my situation with my Mom. (They are for “any” bug that might zap Mom during flu season, not just CV.) (I forgot to mention also that my daughter has asthma, I’m 64 and we have a 67 yr. old helping with Mom.) I’ve seen 4, maybe 5 surgical masks on people in public, and as many homemade masks.* This is in the Mid-South; last groceries run was 4 days ago, Wally World was moderately busy. (I’m so far successfully stretching those runs to ~6 days apart.)
*I most certainly expect to see a lot more homemade masks, next time “in”. Even my wife is going to start making them for others. :-)
Please go to Home Depot’s website and check: There ARE multiple N95 listings, but every one says out of stock, and if you do a chat with them or visit the store they don’t expect any in for months. None are in the stores. That’s been the situation there for well over a month, according to my local Lowes(pl), Home Depots, and Menards(pl). I can’t say for Walgreens anytime since early Feb. - they are too far out of the way for me to regularly go by there. Ditto for every other source I’ve checked.
Since N95’s CAN be sterilized and reused, I’d say more than 6 per home is excessive, barring some unusual circumstance. (We have 3 here and 2 @ Mom’s.) More should go to hospitals. Your real gripe, however, should not be with people with a few masks trying to protect themselves or loved ones. Your gripe is with hoarders or your dunderhead employer. At a minimum the latter should get on the ball with the sterilization and reuse program.