U.S. to distribute 400 million free N95 masks at CVS, Walgreens in COVID fight - Reuters

government will make 400 million non-surgical "N95" masks from its strategic national stockpile available for free to the public starting next week, a White House official said, as the Biden administration tries to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consumer demand for N95s and other more protective masks has spiked in recent weeks on Amazon.com and other online sites.

mask makers told Reuters they have the machines to make millions of N95s each month, and that they prioritize healthcare workers.

manufacturers make KN95s and other high-quality protective masks specifically for children, they said.

The Biden administration last week reached out to the American Mask Manufacturer's Association (AMMA) and its members for information on their mask supplies, group President Lloyd Armbrust told Reuters.

AMMA members, which do not include major government providers like 3M and Honeywell International (HON.O), are capable of producing nearly 67 million KN95 and surgical masks for children - not including opportunities to convert existing lines to make more masks for that group, a spokesman said.

"We are ready to provide protective children's masks for American families," Armbrust said