Will an Air Purifier Protect Your Health from COVID-19?

         In the midst of the Corona-virus pandemic, we receive this question quite often lately - Will an air purifier protect me and my family from COVID-19? The short answer is yes; the long answer is - don't rely solely on air purifiers for full protection. An air purifier will not replace hand-washing and/or surface cleaning, however, it will tremendously help in cleaning the air of various airborne pollutants. You should take more preventative measures in addition to using a reliable HEPA medical-grade air purifier.

      The CDC states that the virus spreads mainly from person to person by people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. The CDC recommends the following actions to protect yourself and others around you:

- Wash your hands thoroughly and often with soap and water

- Avoid close contact with people who are sick, even inside your home.

- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others. (The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.)

- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.

- Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.

Speaking about medical-grade air purifiers and the benefits of a hospital-grade air purifier you should know. 

Why should medical institutions use an air filtration system? Here are some of the important reasons:

1. They filter out allergens and air contaminants that can cause the spread of infections and diseases

2. They keep the indoor air safe to breathe for those with weak immune systems (e.g. children, pregnant women, and the elderly)

3. Some of them also filter out harmful gases and fumes so that patients won’t be affected

4. They are important for isolation rooms (e.g. ICU) to keep the patients free from harmful particles in the air

5. Surgeries can be performed safely when the air is free of contaminants and pollutants in the surgery room (especially highly critical surgeries) 

HEPA filters make air purifiers perform at their full potential when used in various hospital rooms, such as:

• Emergency rooms
• Pharmacies
• Laboratories
• ICUs
• Pediatrics
• Elderly care units
• Rooms with a lot of patients having respiratory problems

Medical-grade air purifiers can also be used nowadays in residential settings. Just as HEPA filters can be installed in a whole-house system, you can also find Hepa grade portable air purification systems very useful, too. The movable air purifier systems can be strategically positioned anywhere and anytime depending on how much filtration is needed for a certain area of the hospital, clinic, office, or home. 

Our Picks for HEPA and Medical-Grade Air Purifiers

Here are some of our best picks for quality air purifiers going by price and capabilities-wise:

Lower-priced

If you just want a simple, smaller-scale air purifier of Hepa-grade, this is the one:

Oreck Air Purifier, Air Response - Large

Key features

• 2-stage Filtration: Combines powerful HEPA Media and Carbon filters to capture 99%* of dust, allergens, pollen and odor
• Air Quality Indicator Bar: Lets you know its working based on air quality
• Designed for large rooms: Such as living rooms and open spaces
• Silence Technology: Provides quiet operation for optimal day and night time use

The Air Response delivers cleaner air with DustSense which automatically monitors, detects, and responds to harmful particles in your air. 

Middle-priced

 We chose a couple of hospital-grade air purifiers from Airpura and Austin Air that are ideal for those who want a medical-grade quality and fairly priced air purifier. COVID-19 is a new strain of virus that as yet, remains untested. However, the HEPA technology used in Austin Air and Airpura filters is clinically proven to remove 95% of all pollutants as small as 0.1 microns. The COVID-19 virus is larger than this, at 0.12 microns in size. So we are confident Austin Air and Airpura air purifiers are effectively removing the vast majority of the virus when it is airborne:

Austin Air HM250 Healthmate Plus Jr Air Purifier

Key features

• 4-Stage. True HEPA and Activated carbon filter canister combined in one Filter assembly.
• True Medical Grade HEPA. Removes 99.97% of all particles larger than 0.3 microns and 95% of all particles larger than 0.1 microns.
• Carbon - 1 inch deep carbon/zeolite mix with potassium Iodide - 7 lbs
• Anti Microbial filter
• 5 Years Parts and Labor + 5 Year Pro-rated warranty on Filter Assembly.
• CSA, NRTL, and CE approved.

The Austin Air HealthMate was designed to address your everyday air quality concerns. It removes a wide range of airborne particles, chemicals, gases, and odors and will significantly improve the quality of air in your home. Efficiently removes a wide range of airborne pollutants and allergens, including dust, pollen, chemicals, and gases. Filters viruses and bacteria.

Airpura UV600 - Germs And Mold Air Purifier with UV Lamp

Key features

• This air purifier is one of the top rated on the market. Made in Canada with your health in mind
• Removes: Bacteria, antigens, pathogens, mold spores, airborne chemicals
• 18-lb carbon filter adsorbs most chemicals, VOC's and odors
• The powerful HEPA filter captures 99.97% of airborne particles, as small as 0.3 microns.
• Unlike other machines on the market, the UV germicidal lamp in this purifier sterilizes microorganisms preventing them from being released back into the air. Other machines on the market (even the higher priced ones) don't have a germicidal UV lamp
• 360° air distribution allows for purification for up to 2000 sq. ft with 2 air exchanges an hour (based on 8-foot ceilings).
• 5-Year Warranty

This UV air purifier destroys the DNA of  pathogens, effectively neutralizing them. Airpura's 18 lbs of custom  blended activated carbon adsorbs chemicals, VOC's gases, and odors while a medical grade True HEPA filter provides powerful  particle reduction of 99.97%of particulate matter as small as 0.3  microns including PM2.5, pollen, dust, dander. Effective for rooms  up to 2,000 square feet. Provides a complete air exchange every 30 minutes. 

Higher-priced

 While IQAir air purifiers are considered some of the best in the industry they also come with a price tag. Here is our top pick:

IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier 

 Key features

• Effective for people suffering from asthma or air allergies.
• It is a certified air purifier as it is effective at 99.97% to remove the particles from the air.
• It has a remote control so that you can adjust its settings as and when required.
• It's a quiet high-performance air purifier
• Certified Air Filtration - more than 99.97% for particles ≥ 0.3 microns; 99.5% at ≥ 0.003 microns
• Maximum Coverage – 1125 sq ft/ 104.5 sq m
• 10 Year Limited Manufacturer Warranty if you register your warranty within 30 days or 1 year warranty if you don't register it

The IQAir’s advanced filters have proven to capture particles even 100 times smaller than other air purifiers! The IQAir HealthPro’s advanced filters can capture particles down to 0.003 microns in size; which is even smaller than germs and viruses. IQ AIR Health ProPlus Air Purifier has a four-stage air filtration process just like Austin Air Healthmate Plus. In addition to this, it does not have a germicidal UV lamp compared to Airpura UV600 air purifier and also has less coverage.

Having a medical-grade HEPA air purifier is highly important when it’s meant for cleanliness and sanitation of the air you and your family breathe. We hope our selection makes your decision easier and helps you in the process of choosing a reliable and effective air purifier. 

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