FILE - Linsey Jones, a medical assistant working at a drive-up COVID-19 testing clinic, wears an N95 mask, Jan. 4, 2022, in Puyallup, Wash., south of Seattle. The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week, now that federal officials are emphasizing their better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings. The White House announced Wednesday that the masks will come from the government's Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the highly protective masks on hand. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)AP

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to advance all over the world, it appears that face masks won’t be going anywhere.

Even as the highly transmissible Omicron variant continues to infect millions, it might not be such a bad idea to trade in your disposable mask for a more protective N95 or KN95 mask, or a respirator as it’s technically referred to.

The CDC states that the N95 forms a seal against the user’s face, preventing particle penetration around the edges. The filter on the N95 has passed tests to determine that it protects against at least 95% of airborne particles. Since disposable masks do not seal against the face like N95s and the filters have not been tested, the same level of protection against airborne particles cannot be guaranteed.

Since the Omicron variant has proven to be more contagious as past variants, the demand for more protective face coverings is on the rise. In turn, counterfeit high quality mask production has also been skyrocketing. According to USA Today, “the CDC estimates that about 60% of KN95 respirators in the U.S. are counterfeit and fail to meet strict standards set by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).”

To ensure that you buy only legitimate and approved respirators, there are a few indicators that can help you better identify those type of masks.

Related: Shop around for masks below:

A report released by the CDC states that the easiest way to tell if your N95 is real, is if it is NIOSH approved. Users can search on the NIOSH Certified Equipment List to see if their N95 is authorized. All NIOSH approved respirators have a testing and certification approval number which will be printed on the respirator.

USA Today reports that another way to tell if your N95 is fake is to check the price for the product. N95 masks that are significantly more expensive than the average respirator or ones that are available in suspiciously large quantities are strong indicators of potential fraud, given that demand is high and that legitimate manufacturers won’t charge a premium during a pandemic.

All authorized N95 masks also have straps that wrap around the head to maximize the tightest fit. N95 masks made with ear loops are fake.

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