Yeah, yeah. The chain link/mosquito analogy.
But the thing is that mosquito is traveling by a vehicle large enough to not pass through.
Problem arises when the outside of that barrier becomes covered with mosquito vehicles and they are sent flying by a sneeze/cough/laugh/large exhalation. This scenario is worsened by lower grade cloth barriers.
So. Yes. Professional grade PPE does offer protection. Cloth barriers worn multiple times by idiots, not so much.
The material an N95 is made of will stop about 95 percent of the 120 nm (0.12 microns) virus alone, without being suspended in an aerosol. The worst case size is 0.3 microns, give or take. Stating this counter-intuitive fact gets many folks all riled up at me.
Suspending the virus in an aerosol (like a sneeze) makes it all the easier to remove. But people lump together surgical masks (protect the patient) with N95 and other respirators (protect the wearer).