Respiratory virus activity is surging across the United States. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 40,000 patients were admitted with some type of respiratory virus during the week before Christmas.That’s a combination of patients with COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (also known as RSV). CDC data shows its COVID-19 is leading the way, but flu activity is also rapidly rising. That’s why health experts are urging people that vaccination and donning face masks in crowded settings can help slow the spread of these diseases. Here are some things you should know in order to help protect yourself, but also be aware financially of where to spend your money. N95 masks offer the highest level of protectionThe CDC says well-fitting disposable surgical masks and KN95 masks offer great protection, but the highest level of protection comes from well-fitting NIOSH-approved respirators (including N95 masks). Surgical and KN95 masks we found onlineKids KN95 mask (pack of 20) - $49LEMENT KN95 mask (pack of 50) - $20Hygenix disposable face masks - $12N95 masks we found online3M Aura N95 (pack of 20) - $15BNX N95 Mask (pack of 10) - $17Fangtian N95 mask (pack of 10) - $18Check if your mask order is FSA or HSA eligibleYour mask order could be eligible to be covered by your flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA). For example, this link to face masks we found on Amazon had a line under the add to cart option where it said “FSA or HSA eligible.” Another way you can see not only face masks, but other products that are FSA or HSA eligible is by visiting the FSA | HSA store on Amazon. You can click on this link to be redirected there.Check to see on the product description online to see if you see mention of a box of face masks being eligible for FSA or HSA, and if you’re going to a store, check with your health insurance provider before purchasing if they’ll reimburse you. The reason why you want to check is that face masks typically aren’t a returnable item. COVID-19 tests are still free You can get up to eight free at-home COVID-19 tests if you haven’t placed an order through COVIDTests.gov when the program reopened on Sept. 25, 2023. Click here to see if your household is still eligible to receive free at-home tests. Now if you have already taken advantage of that offer and you’re buying COVID-19 test kits online, check to see if they are also FSA or HSA eligible, like face masks. We noticed on Amazon when doing a search for COVID-19 test kits that these kits were eligible. iHealth COVID-19 rapid test BinaxNOW COVID-19 rapid testFlowflex COVID-19 home test kitIndicaid COVID-19 rapid test kitVaccines are available for all three respiratory virusesCNN reported that despite a historic first with vaccines available to protect against COVID-19, the flu and RSV, vaccine uptake remains low this season. Just 19% of adults and 8% of children have gotten the latest COVID-19 vaccine, and 17% of adults 60 and older have gotten the new RSV vaccine, CDC data shows. Less than half of adults and children have gotten the flu vaccine this season.“We have, as a population, underutilized both influenza and the updated COVID-19 vaccines, unfortunately,” Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University told CNN. “But it’s not too late to get vaccinated because these viruses are going to be around for a while yet.”COVID-19 vaccines remain free to everyone six months and older, and most health insurance plans cover flu vaccination without a co-payment. The CDC says private health insurance plans are required to cover RSV vaccines for adults 60 years and older. Most children can get the vaccines free through family insurance plans or the Vaccines for Children program.