The Illinois Department of Public Health will begin delivery of just over 1,000 HEPA air purifiers in the coming weeks. The purifiers will be distributed to 45 Head Start programs throughout the state along with replacement filters and COVID-19 rapid antigen tests for Head Start staff and the families served. It’s a $2 million dollar investment coordinated by IDPH.

The CDC released new guidelines for indoor ventilation last month calling for at least five air changes per hour, meaning the equivalent of all the air in a room is replaced five or more times within an hour. The effort builds on a previously announced IDPH program, funded by the CDC, to provide HEPA air purifiers to K-12 schools.