John Paul M. Joaquin Tech 08.16.2022 20:Aug PM EDT

Air Purifiers — Are They Effective Against COVID-19?

Air Purifiers help clean the air we breathe at home, making them a useful tool when you want to get rid of the dust floating in the air after a good cleaning or remove the odor caused by indoor cooking.

However, with the COVID-19 pandemic refusing to let up anytime soon despite the prevalence of vaccines designed to combat the virus, it is still claiming lives worldwide.

As such, preventing getting infected with COVID-19 became just as important as curing it.

Will an air purifier do the trick?

The Effectivity OF Air Purifiers Against COVID-19

Before we know if an air purifier can help us prevent getting infected with COVID-19, we must first understand the virus in question.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that spreads from an infected person's mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they cough, sneeze, speak, sing, or even breathe, per the WHO.

These liquid particles range from larger respiratory droplets to smaller aerosols, which can hang in the air for some time until it gets breathed in by someone, per a separate WHO report.

The virus can also spread in poorly ventilated and/or crowded indoor settings and when an uninfected person touches their eyes, nose, or mouth after touching surfaces or objects that are already contaminated by the virus.

Additionally, News Medical states that the diameter of the virus has been found to range between 0.05 microns to 0.14 microns.

Now, let's look at Air Purifiers. These devices use air filters to trap particles with a mesh filter usually made of glass or specialty synthetic fibers, per IQAir. As such, Nateosante found them capable of capturing aerosols potentially carrying the virus in the air of a room that has no possibility of ventilation.

Some air purifiers even use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, which can theoretically remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and airborne particles as little as 0.3 microns, per the EPA.

As such, it can be argued that air purifiers can help prevent people from being infected with COVID-19 as HEPA filters can catch the virus while allowing clean air to pass through.

However, it won't guarantee people's safety on its own. It is only a part of a solution that involves physical distancing and wearing face masks, whether indoors or outdoors, among other guidelines.

Air Filters To Get To Prevent COVID-19 Infection

Here are some of the best Air Purifiers with HEPA filters that you can get to protect yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19.

Coway Airmega 250 Air Purifier (349.30) - Its four-stage filtration process removes 99.98% of particulates in the air, including COVID-19 particles, per Rolling Stone. It also comes with a pre-filter, a deodorization filter, and a HEPA filter that enhances the purifier's ability to reduce and eliminate airborne contaminants.
IQAir Atem Desk Air Purifier ($399) - This air purifier is small and compact, making it a must-have for any traveling person to have to protect themselves against COVID-19 infection. IQAir's technology filters 99% of particles down to the size of even the smallest virus. It filters allergens, PM2.5 bacteria, and COVID-19 particles, per IQAir.
Winix 5500-2 ($179) - This air purifier is capable of capturing particulates to near zero in under an hour, according to the New York Times. In fact, it got 99.9% of smoke in a room in only 30 minutes on high settings while getting only 97.2% on medium-high settings in the same period. However, its lack of a display shutoff, coupled with a slightly higher electrical use could scare some more financially conservative individuals.