San Ramon Valley Schools Report 3 Coronavirus Cases

SAN RAMON VALLEY, CA — Three people at San Ramon Valley Unified School District schools have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the district announced.

SRVUSD said Friday that someone at Coyote Creek Elementary School tested positive, and said Saturday that someone at Hidden Hills Elementary School and someone at Windemere Ranch Middle School tested positive. All SRVUSD schools are being deep cleaned and sanitized while they are closed, the district said.

SRVUSD said in letters to the school communities that the district had not yet been able to confirm with the Contra Costa County Department of Public Health, as KRON first reported.

The person at Coyote Creek stayed home while feeling sick and was last on campus on Wednesday, March 4, according to the letter. The same was true of the person at Hidden Hills, who was last on campus Thursday, March 12, and of the person at Windemere Ranch, who was last on campus Friday, March 13 — students' last day of school before dismissal.

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Alameda County schools will remain closed through May 1.

The district declined to further elaborate on the sick individuals, citing patient privacy laws.

Read more from the district here.

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
• California Coronavirus: Live Updates On Cases, Closures, Orders