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The pandemic remains a major concern for billions of people, and there are lots of options for shielding yourself from COVID-19 which do have a scientifically provable benefit, such as wearing a mask and washing your hands frequently.
In the wake of this crisis, various claims have been made about the capabilities of air purifiers when it comes to combating coronavirus, but is there any truth to this or should you take such statements with a pinch of salt?
The facts
There is no denying that air purifiers help reduce bacteria and viruses in the environments where they operate; that is partly the point of their existence.
Indeed certain brands even come with built-in filtration systems which are theoretically capable of trapping the microscopically small particles of COVID-19 and, in combination with ultraviolet light exposure, killing them.
For everyday use in normal circumstances, this should be seen as a good feature, but not one which should be relied upon to prevent you contracting a disease which has spread so quickly around the world and resulted in the deaths of so many people.
The variables
The reason that experts are cautious to recommend any air purifiers as effective in protecting against coronavirus is that there are so many variables at play which have a huge impact on whether or not a given purifier would work for this purpose.
As well as differences in the filter quality and the state of repair of individual machines, the size of the room as well as the volume of air which passes through it, the speed at which it moves and the capacity of the purifier will all play a part here.
In short, if someone infected with the virus was in the same room as an uninfected person and an air purifier, it would be impossible to discount the likelihood of COVID-19 being spread, because so far there simply has not been enough testing done to know for certain what impact, if any, this type of equipment has.
The conclusions
While air purifiers may not be the answer to the issues caused by coronavirus, it is important to also remember that they still can serve a worthy purpose in households where poor air quality is causing problems.
For general wellbeing, having an air purifier which filters out dust, pollution and other harmful particles is a sensible step. It can be especially useful if your home suffers from moisture and dampness issues, or if you are a sufferer of allergies which are exacerbated if air quality is poor.
Following current guidelines on protecting against the pandemic is the only way to truly do as much as you can to stay safe, as well as to keep other members of your family and the people around you out of harm’s way. If more testing is done or new models are introduced, then air purifiers could have a part to play, but this moment has not yet arrived.