MADISON, Wis. — In an effort to keep the community safe from the spread of the omicron variant, Boys and Girls Club of Dane County helped give away more than 200,000 N95 masks for adults and KN95 masks for children at the Allied Drive location on Wednesday.


What You Need To Know

  • Coveted items can sell for upwards of $100 on Amazon
  • UW Health Pediatric Infectious Disease Dr. Joe McBride said a well-fitting mask is crucial to keeping your children safe
  • He said to make sure to have a few on hand and switch them out during the week, and they should be stored in a brown paper bag for a few days between uses

During the drive-thru event, families and various organizations could come and pick up multiple varieties.

Local mother Laura Nilbrath said she is thrilled she could find some of the coveted items for her kids. She said they are hard to find anywhere.

"And I would very much like my kids to go back to school, but I can't, because we don't have masks. They're $100 on Amazon," she said about why she came out to the special event.

UW Health Pediatric Infectious Disease Dr. Joe McBride said a well-fitting mask is crucial to keeping your children safe.  

In fact, his recommendation is that gold-standard KN95 for kids. 

"That would be my preference, right now, January 2022 in Wisconsin," he said.

He said if they plan to wear a KN95, make sure to have a few on hand and switch them out during the week.  He said the items should be stored in a brown bag for a few days between uses.

"These things can be reused and that 48-72 hours of delay in between is just to make sure that anything dries out on it in case there were any virus that was on it and it will allow it to desiccate and then to be re-worn again," Dr. McBride said.

Dr. McBride recommends for kids that the KN95 masks be worn about two to three times before they are tossed out. But if a child is younger and frequently gets them dirty, he suggests a tight fitting surgical mask or possibly double masking.