{"id":118,"date":"2022-03-11T01:43:38","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T06:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/georgia\/edfund\/resources\/how-avoid-counterfeit-covid-products\/"},"modified":"2022-08-06T07:12:05","modified_gmt":"2022-08-06T11:12:05","slug":"how-to-avoid-counterfeit-covid-products","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/georgia\/edfund\/resources\/how-to-avoid-counterfeit-covid-products\/","title":{"rendered":"How to avoid counterfeit COVID products"},"featured_media":11354,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":false,"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":""},"campaign_tax":[157],"display_option":[],"issue_tax":[],"resource_type":[67],"region_tax":[],"state":[5,7,8,9,12,13,16,18,23,24,25,28,2,32,33,34,36,38,40,41,42,46,50,52],"topic_tax":[124],"class_list":["post-118","resource","type-resource","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"details":{"helper_taxonomies":{"topics":[124],"collection":false,"press_type":false,"person_type":false,"resource_type":67,"event_type":false,"campaigns":157,"department":false,"level":false,"states":[2,5,7,8,9,12,13,16,18,23,24,25,28,32,33,34,36,38,40,41,42,46,50,52],"act_option":false,"display_option":false,"primary":{"topic":124}},"subtitle":"","excerpt":"","featured_image":11354,"caption_override":"","updated_on":null,"sidebar_action":null,"related_event":null,"hide_hero_image":false,"location":"","external_link":{"publication_name":"","url":""},"file":null,"sidebar_action_query_string":""},"helper_people_group":{"title":"Authors","entities":[{"type":"dynamic","dynamic_person":{"site":1,"people":"11352"},"information":{"name":"","image":null,"role":"","biography":"","contact":{"twitter":"","facebook":"","email":"","phone":""}}}]},"helper_downloads":{"title":"Downloads","files":null},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

While all counterfeits can potentially carry health and safety risks, counterfeit products related to COVID-19 prevention or testing are especially concerning.\u00a0 The false safety sense with fake COVID-19 at-home tests or counterfeit masks can directly affect consumer\u2019s health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During fiscal 2020,\u00a0U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials\u00a0<\/a>confiscated 12.7 million counterfeit face masks and 180,000 prohibited COVID-19 test kits. The number of counterfeit masks continues to grow with the\u00a0Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a>\u00a0estimating that about 60% of the KN95 respirators the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) evaluated during 2020 and 2021 failed to meet requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whether shopping for COVID-19 at-home tests or masks, these tips can help you decipher between counterfeit and authentic products.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tips when shopping for COVID-19 at-home tests:<\/h5>\n

When purchasing a COVID-19 at-home test, look for FDA approval.\u00a0You can search for approved\u00a0antigen diagnostic tests<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0molecular diagnostic tests<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

COVID-19 at-home tests sold at brick and mortar stores are more trustworthy than those sold online.\u00a0The best places to purchase COVID-19 at-home tests are the retailers you already know and shop at.<\/p>\n

If you decide to shop online for COVID-19 at-home tests, use a credit card.\u00a0When purchasing an at-home test, or any other product where it is difficult to verify the authenticity, you can use a credit card so you can dispute the charges with your credit card company if the product never arrives in the mail.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tips when shopping for masks:<\/h5>\n

The FDA does not approve N95 masks, NIOSH does.\u00a0If an N95 or other masks listed below come in packaging that says \u201cFDA approved,\u201d it\u2019s a good sign that it is a counterfeit. The FDA only approves\u00a0surgical N95 masks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0CDC<\/a>\u00a0lists other ways to identify a counterfeit mask when looking for NIOSH approval for N95, N99, N100, P95 and P100 masks:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n