Mostly N95 masks have 0.1-0.3 um pore size range, while the SARS-COV-2 virus is less than 0.1 um. So, technically which type of masks are considered best to prevent coronavirus infiltration? Is there any solution available to the issue? And any advancement on behalf of scientific community to refine the available masks?
P100 are the best. However, N95 are widely available so people can purchase them easily.
Kindly go through the following RG link.
Article What Type of Face Mask is Appropriate for Everyone-Mask-Wear...
The most appropriate mask must be fit tested for the person who will use them. A poor seal or indeed a beard renders any mask almost useless.
The Powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) hoods are the best protection from COVID-19 that is currently available. These are suitable for people with beards.
Umbrella is to protect from rain not to stop the rain. This ideal one can not be defined just like that. And mostly we are exposed to the manufacturer's detailing and they explain in their way to market the product. I feel we should wear a clean and sterile mask to protect ourselves and maintain social distancing.
N95 masks. Actually a type of respirator, an N95 mask offers more protection than a surgical mask does because it can filter out both large and small particles when the wearer inhales. As the name indicates, the mask is designed to block 95% of very small particles. Some N95 masks have valves that make them easier to breathe through. With this type of mask, unfiltered air is released when the wearer exhales.
Health care providers must be trained and pass a fit test to confirm a proper seal before using an N95 respirator in the workplace. Like surgical masks, N95 masks are intended to be disposable. However, researchers are testing ways to disinfect N95 masks so they can be reused.
Some N95 masks, and even some cloth masks, have one-way valves that make them easier to breathe through. But because the valve releases unfiltered air when the wearer breathes out, this type of mask doesn't prevent the wearer from spreading the virus. For this reason, some places have banned them.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
Surgical masks, also called a medical mask. A surgical mask is a loose-fitting disposable mask that protects the wearer's nose and mouth from contact with droplets, splashes and sprays that may contain germs. A surgical mask also filters out large particles in the air. Surgical masks may protect others by reducing exposure to the saliva and respiratory secretions of the mask wearer. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
Fabric masks are recommended to prevent onward transmission in the general population in public areas, particularly where distancing is not possible, and in areas of community transmission. This could include the school grounds in some situations. Masks may help to protect others, because wearers may be infected before symptoms of illness appear. The policy on wearing a mask or face covering should be in line with national or local guidelines. Where used, masks should be worn, cared for and disposed of properly.
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-schools-and-covid-19#:~:text=Fabric%20masks%20are%20recommended%20to,and%20disposed%20of%20properly.
Cloth masks. A cloth mask is intended to trap droplets that are released when the wearer talks, coughs or sneezes. Asking everyone to wear cloth masks can help reduce the spread of the virus by people who have COVID-19 but don't realize it.
Cloth face coverings are most likely to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus when they are widely used by people in public settings. And countries that required face masks, testing, isolation and social distancing early in the pandemic have successfully slowed the spread of the virus.
While surgical and N95 masks may be in short supply and should be reserved for health care providers, cloth face coverings and masks are easy to find or make, and can be washed and reused.
Masks can be made from common materials, such as sheets made of tightly woven cotton. Instructions are easy to find online. Cloth masks should include multiple layers of fabric. The CDC website even includes directions for no-sew masks made from bandannas and T-shirts
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
Thank you all, for the valuable information. No doubt, the scientific community is continuously working to find a better solution.
In conclusion, I can say that all types of masks especially high graded masks work well while maintaining proper distance. On contrary, if the distance is not maintained or the viral load is high, then the nano-sized virus is capable enough to evade the mask barrier because its size is lower than the mask's pore size. Even if the material has some repellant properties, 100% coverage is not possible because we knew that viruses adapt and modify according to the situation.
How to reduce cost of N95 masks?
The below link JAMA article reviews how to make these masks reusable.
Article Filtering Facepiece Respirator (N95 Respirator) Reprocessing...
Be vary of counterfeit N95 masks.
Identify them by having a look at this link:
https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/counterfeit-n95-masks
As of now N95 and N99 (equivalent to FFP2 and FFP3 in Europe) respirators are the best type of masks for protection against COVID-19. While SARS-COV-2 is much smaller than 0.1 micron, viruses tend to travel in larger particles, which is why the N95 and N99 filtering masks are optimal face pieces for prevention of the corona virus. They can potentially stop droplets that may carry the virus. The media for theses masks are made of either melt-blown microfibers or electrospun nanofibers.
N95 masks are designed to remove more than 95% of all particles that are at least 0.3 microns (µm) in diameter. In fact, measurements of the particle filtration efficiency of N95 masks show that they are capable of filtering ≈99.8% of particles with a diameter of ≈0.1 μm. SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus ≈0.1 μm in diameter, so N95 masks are capable of filtering most free virions, but they do more than that. How so? Viruses are often transmitted through respiratory droplets produced by coughing and sneezing. Respiratory droplets are usually divided into two size bins, large droplets (>5 μm in diameter) that fall rapidly to the ground and are thus transmitted only over short distances, and small droplets (≤5 μm in diameter). Small droplets can evaporate into 'droplet nuclei', remain suspended in air for significant periods of time and could be inhaled. Some viruses, such as measles, can be transmitted by droplet nuclei. Larger droplets are also known to transmit viruses, usually by settling onto surfaces that are touched and transported by hands onto mucosal membranes such as the eyes, nose and mouth. The characteristic diameter of large droplets produced by sneezing is ~100 μm, while the diameter of droplet nuclei produced by coughing is on the order of ~1 μm. At present, it is unclear whether surfaces or air are the dominant mode of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but N95 masks should provide some protection against both.
Source of information: Article Sars-cov-2 (Covid-19) by the numbers
We are still exploring the mechanism of transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Many things are in question. if it transmitted by air, then the situation was disastrous, no one can stay away out of its reach.