Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says the agency is not revising its guidance to recommend N95 or similar masks for the general public despite reports to the contrary.

That being the case, health officials still say N95 masks can better protect against the omicron variant, which is believed to be spreading faster through the air than previous variants.

"A lot more of the spread is coming from aerosols, which can hang out in the air for up to an hour in normal settings, and that does contribute to how rapidly this is spreading," said Jennifer Gutowski, associate director of infection prevention at Rochester Regional Health. "So your cloth mask and your surgical mask even will not prevent aerosol spread or it won't protect you against aerosol spread."

Gutowski says that doesn't mean cloth and surgical masks are completely useless. They still protect against large droplets. If you are using a cloth or surgical mask, Gutowski recommends layering them for more protection.

She says N95 masks are considered respirators because they filter 95% of particles in the air. KN95 masks are the next best thing, but they are made in China where there is a different certification standard. Some of them may even be fake or inadequate.

Some masks labeled as KN95 that were provided by the state have been criticized for being low quality.

So what should people know when upgrading their masks?

When buying N95 masks, it should have the acronym NIOSH printed on it. That means it's certified by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

"NIOSH is our national organization that certifies respirators," said Gutowski. "So if you're buying an N95, those actually, you can go and Google the CDC website, they link to NIOSH specifications. There are labels, certain codes, approves masks."

Finding N95 or KN95 masks is easier said than done.

You can make sure you have the right kind by checking the CDC's list of approved N95 masks.

Some can be found on Amazon, but prices and availability will vary.