Updated at 5:45 p.m. on March 25, 2020: Lee County has added 14 more positive tests, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. The county now has 40 positives, still third-most of any county.

Original story: Positive tests for COVID-19 are hitting Lee County, home of Auburn University, in an outsized proportion to the other areas of Alabama. Hospital officials in the county seat of Opelika are calling their area a coronavirus “hot spot.”

“At this time, Lee County has the third highest number of confirmed cases in the state," Laura Grill, EAMC president and CEO, said in a statement Tuesday night. "That makes us somewhat of a ‘hot spot’ for Alabama and so we are working very closely with the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Alabama Hospital Association to monitor our situation.”

Lee County had the state’s third-most positive tests for COVID-19 with 26, according to the latest report Tuesday by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The state only counts confirmed cases.

At East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, officials said late Tuesday that 7 patients are hospitalized with confirmed cases. That includes 1 from a nursing home.

Another 27 patients are hospitalized with suspected cases of COVID-19. Those have not been confirmed by testing yet and are not on the state’s list.

One person with a positive test has been discharged from the hospital.

With only 314 beds at the hospital, according to the Alabama Hospital Association, those 34 patients occupy 11 percent of the facility's current capacity.

Related: ‘It would not take large numbers’ to overwhelm Alabama hospitals; officials look at adding beds

“At this time, Lee County has the third highest number of confirmed cases in the state," Laura Grill, EAMC president and CEO, said in a statement Tuesday night. "That makes us somewhat of a ‘hot spot’ for Alabama and so we are working very closely with the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Alabama Hospital Association to monitor our situation.”

On Monday, Huntsville Hospital CEO David Spillers said his facility had loaned respirators to EAMC because of their surge in coronavirus patients.

While such cooperation between facilities is appreciated, it’s not a long-term solution for what’s expected to be a fast-growing problem, Alabama Hospital Association President Dr. Don Williamson told AL.com earlier this week.

A surge in coronavirus hospitalizations has been an issue already in national hot spots such as Seattle and New York. In Birmingham, non-medical facilities are being assessed for possible utilization to handle growing needs.

Related: AL.com’s full coverage of COVID-19.

In Lee County, positive COVID-19 tests have grown from 5 on March 17 to now 26 on March 24. At the hospital, in-patients have grown from 1 on March 17 to 7 on March 24.

With the trend indicating more patients will be coming to their doors and more beds will be needed, EAMC is also looking at quick expansion to handle growing caseloads.

“Like other hospitals, we have surge capacity contingency plans that have to be considered during times like these," Grill said in her statement. "As such, we have made some changes to where we care for certain patient types so as to separate our non-COVID patients from our confirmed or suspected COVID patients.”

While only the city of Birmingham has passed a shelter-in-place ordinance and Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday expressed opposition to such an approach statewide, East Alabama Medical Center in its statement "is asking everyone" to stay at home to help prevent the spread, leaving only for essential activities such as food, medical care and work.

And like other hospitals, EAMC is seeking community donations for the following:

Isolation gowns: non-sterile, impervious

Masks: surgical, procedure, ear loop, ear loop with face shield, or fog-free procedure mask

Latex gloves: exam, nitrile or chemo

Hand sanitizer: 70% ethyl alcohol

Businesses may bring these items to the collection site outside of EAMC’s Main Lobby between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. each weekday. An EAMC representative will be there to collect the supplies.