The COVID-19 pandemic and the new waves of the virus have struck the world hard, but humans are not giving up and new ways are found to battle it as much as we could while the virus prevails.
The newly made nanofiber filter is designed such that it captures 100 percent of coronavirus aerosols as proved in a recent experiment.
“Our work is the first study to use coronavirus aerosols for evaluating filtration efficiency of face masks and air filters,” said corresponding author Yun Shen, a UC Riverside assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering. “Previous studies have used surrogates of saline solution, polystyrene beads, and bacteriophages — a group of viruses that infect bacteria.”
UC Riverside and George Washington University engineers compared the utility of surgical cotton masks and electrospun nanofiber membranes at securing from COVID-19 aerosols to keep from the airborne transmission.
The results came proving the efficacy of the nanofiber filter to 100 percent, while the surgical mask was found the second-best in preventing the spread of the virus at effectiveness that stood at 98 percent in removing coronavirus aerosols. The cotton mask and the net gaiter, however, were found the least effective and only removed up to 73 percent of aerosols in the new experiment, hence clearly not recommended to be worn in public spaces.
Studies and researches stating facts are available over the web, concerning the best practices in preventing COVID-19. However, it is now up to the larger population to take the right and prescribed measures so the world becomes a free place again as it was before. Hence starting off, wearing the right mask is essential in reaching the goal of eliminating the virus.
The narrative built in the start said that regular use of sanitizer, maintaining a six feet distance, and wearing a mask would keep you from contracting the virus, however, later on, this was changed with researches and studies proving that the virus transmission is not necessarily through droplets.
Defined as tiny particles of water or other matter that remains in the air, WHO and CDC both have testified aerosols accounting as a major source of coronavirus widespread. Aerosols are small enough to penetrate the respiratory system and are released when a person breathes, coughs, or talk. The aerosols coming out of a covid-19 positive individual leaves the rest individuals in the vicinity at risk of contracting the virus.
New in masks and proven to have a 100 percent effectiveness in keeping from the aerosols are the masks made of nanofibers. Hence choosing the right mask is one important decision to make. The point proven in many pieces of research is that the increasing spread of the virus sure is through aerosols transmission, even though earlier guidelines involving using a sanitizer and keeping a distance accounts for keeping you safe, however, you could still contract the virus if the use of the right mask is not practiced.