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Over 100,000 counterfeit N95 masks seized at airport

Coronavirus update for NYC

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Saturday, January 16, 2021

The novel coronavirus was just starting to show its teeth in New York and New Jersey as Winter turned to Spring. People were dying already, but we were only starting to feel the wave of death, anguish, and need that was heading our way.

JAMAICA, Queens (WABC) -- Over 100,000 counterfeit N95 masks were seized at JFK Airport, officials say.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted shipments on December 2 and December 8. Both shipments were later determined to be counterfeit.

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Stacey Sager reports on lthe ink that was erroneously shared to the public and put out on social media.

Officials say the counterfeit N95 masks are dangerous because they could end up in healthcare settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics. Since the masks are counterfeit, they may not work properly.

"Allowing counterfeits like these to reach the public or our healthcare heroes is a risk we cannot take," said Customs and Border Protection Director Troy Miller.

More than 14 million counterfeit face masks, as well as 180,000 FDA-prohibited COVID-19 test kids and tens of thousands of FDA-prohibited pharmaceuticals, have been seized since the beginning of the pandemic.

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