Each person will be able to pick up three masks at pharmacies and other distribution sites. But in a nation of 332 million people, only about 40% of the population will be able to obtain masks from the federal stockpile before they run out.

Even then, Biden’s plan to distribute masks is less than it seems. N95s can be worn a maximum of five times if they are used correctly (far from a guarantee). It turns out that those Americans who receive the masks will be unmasked again not long after their “really important tool” arrives.

And COVID-19 will still be with us.

Anyone who breathed a sigh of relief when Biden announced his N95 mask plan must feel like an idiot. I know I do.