Open Heart Kitchen Volunteer Tests Positive For Coronavirus

LIVERMORE, CA — An Open Heart Kitchen volunteer who was not displaying symptoms at the time of his duties for the meal program has tested positive for the new coronavirus, said Kathy La Point-Collut, lead pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church in Livermore. The church allows Open Heart Kitchen meals to be prepared in its kitchen.

Open Heart Kitchen, which serves food to needy Tri-Valley residents, continues to serve meals, said Denise Bridges, development director for the organization. Meals are being prepared at the Ridgeview Commons Apartments site in Pleasanton, not Asbury Methodist Church.

The patient is in isolation and remains in good condition, Bridges said.

More information on Open Heart Kitchen's meal service and senior meal service can be found here.

The Independent first reported the coronavirus case and said the person was a resident of Livermore.

Asbury United Methodist Church immediately shut down upon learning of the positive test on March 17 and informed others who had been in his proximity. The facility was deep cleaned later that week, La Point-Collut said.

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All staff continue to quarantine, La Point-Collut said. Others who were exposed to the volunteer all tested negative and nobody has shown symptoms of illness.

Asbury United Methodist Church remains closed. La Point-Collut said the church hopes to reopen this week or next, but it's unclear exactly when that will happen.

Though Open Heart Kitchen continues to serve meals, it has had to cancel volunteer shifts and is "working with a skeleton crew of chefs and staff and city staff," Bridges said.

"Now more than ever, people need that compassion," she said.

Volunteers can sign up here to work for Open Heart Kitchen. Donors can donate here.

The dining hall Open Hearts Kitchen has historically used at Ridgeview Commons is closed, but meal pick-up is still available. Learn more about the hot meal service here.

Other Tri-Valley organizations have also announced positive coronavirus tests.

On Friday Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton announced a member had tested positive and San Ramon Valley Unified School District announced three people affiliated with schools had tested positive for the virus.

A resident of Sunrise Senior Living in Pleasanton was recently hospitalized after testing positive for the virus. No other residents were experiencing symptoms as of a week ago.

Earlier this month Bay Club in Pleasanton told members an employee who last worked in child care had tested positive for coronavirus.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Read more:

• Resources To Help Tri-Valley Residents: Coronavirus
• Take-Out Options For Tri-Valley Diners: Coronavirus
• Coronavirus: Care For Your Mental Health In Tri-Valley
• Coronavirus: San Ramon School Reports Positive Test
• California Coronavirus: Live Updates On Cases, Closures, Orders