Experts now recommend N95 masks to combat omicron

Health experts are now recommending that people step up protection against the highly contagious omicron variant with stronger masks such as N95s or KN95s. It's especially important now with health care systems under strain, and with people in higher-risk situations.

There’s a special category of "surgical N95" masks that are generally not available for sale to the public that the CDC says should continued to be reserved for health care settings.N95s have a tighter fit to your face than cloth masks and are made with a special material designed to block 95% of harmful particles.

The fibers are pressed closer together than in cloth masks and have an electrostatic charge that attracts molecules to stick to the mask rather than passing through.KN95s and KF94s offer a similar level of protection. But be careful when buying.

The counterfeit market is huge, and about 60% of KN95s in the U.S. are fake and do not meet quality standards, according to the CDC. It's hard to tell just by looking if a mask is counterfeit, so experts suggest buying directly from reputable sellers.