Covid-19: which is the best air purifier?

Covid-19: which is the best HEPA air purifier to help keep you protected?

Covid-19 (Sars Cov-2) may not be making the headlines that it was at the start of the pandemic, but the virus hasn’t gone away. For offices, hospitals and schools, in particular, there’s still an ever-present danger of outbreaks and disruption.

To help reduce the risk of contracting and spreading SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) in these environments, you might wonder if air purifiers are a sensible solution?

The science says the are, especially when used alongside other hygiene practises such hand-washing and good ventilation. In fact, In 2021, the World Health Organisation recommended air purifiers to supplement integrated ventilation systems in hospitals around the world to combat SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

In addition, a research team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the University of Cambridge reported that they were able to use HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter/UV steriliser air purifiers to remove most airborne traces of SARS-CoV-2 on surge wards at the hospital. The air purifiers also successfully filtered out other bacterial, fungal and viral bioaerosols (airborne particles containing living organisms).

So, an air purifier with a HEPA filter is all you need to project against Covid-19, correct? Not quite

Air purifiers with HEPA 14 filters are scientifically proven to remove Covid-19 from the air

The research team at Addenbrooke's Hospital and the University of Cambridge used a particular type of HEPA Filter for their tests: a HEPA 14 filter.
HEPA 13 – 14 filters are the highest tier of HEPA air filtration and considered medical grade. They are the filters that we use in our air purifiers: the MedicAir Pro, the MedicAir Pro Mini and the MedicAir Pro Max.

HEPA 14 filters (used in our MedicAir Pro Mini and the MedicAir Pro Max) are independently certified and designed to eliminate airborne bacteria because the pores are small enough to prevent coronavirus particles down to 0.3μm in size from passing through at a rate of 99.995%.In contrast, HEPA filters not certified to this standard, while able to filter dust and pollutants, are probably not going to be effective against viral aerosols.

Is an air purifier with a HEPA 14 filter all you need to protect against Covid?

The short answer is no. The higher the grade of technology used in an air purifier and the unique combination of that technology all plays an important factor when choosing the best HEPA air purifier for your needs. An air purifier with the ability to capture and kill coronavirus particles is going to offer you the best level of protection - as shown in the Addenbrooke's Hospital research. Here at MedicAir, our three air purifiers are built with HEPA 13 - 14 filters and contain medical-grade ultra violet (UV) lamps to kill pathogens.
UV-C irradiation emits high-energy wavelengths via a special UV bulb from deep within the purifier unit. These wavelengths damage the genetic material (DNA or RNA) of microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, so that they can no longer perform their vital functions.

Our MedicAir Pro and MedicAir Pro Max air both contain powerful 24W UV-C bulbs which are able to eliminate up to 99.99% of viruses and bacteria.

Our medical grade air purification technology is already helping to keep offices, homes, schools and hospitals safe across the UK. It’s also one of the reasons we were recently been awarded a year-long contract by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to deliver air purification in hospitals in Mauritius.

For more information on reducing the risk of Covid-19 using a HEPA air purifier, speak to us today.