Biden’s face mask campaign requires more imports from China because of low U.S. production

Free masks are coming, but making more in the U.S. will be challenging Free N95 masks are on the way, but U.S. production to make more has cratered since mask demand plummeted in 2021. Nathan Bomey Axios

American mask manufacturers are getting whiplash, having gone from sleepy sector to mission-critical industry overnight — only to see sales collapse before now being suddenly in demand again.

Why it matters: As the highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 rages, health experts now say Americans need legitimate N95 or KN95 masks to best protect themselves — not widely available fakes or less effective cloth masks.

• But U.S. production of effective face masks cratered after demand plunged in summer 2021, leaving the country dependent on Chinese imports at a time when authentic masks are desperately needed, according to the American Mask Manufacturer's Association (AMMA).

Driving the news: The Biden administration today announced plans to distribute 400 million American-made N95 respirator masks to the public, drawing down more than half of the national stockpile.

• "It’s an important first step to providing respiratory protection to all who want it," says Anne Miller, executive director of PPE nonprofit Project N95.

Yes, but: 400 million is barely enough for one per American, and there are few immediate options to make more in the U.S., AMMA founder Lloyd Armbrust tells Axios.

The big picture: The federal government's stockpile of N95s totaled about 737 million before the Biden announcement. Replenishing it with American-made masks will take time because U.S. producers shut down most of their manufacturing capacity after the nation’s vaccination campaign led to the suspension of mask mandates, temporarily sapping demand. ...