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A resident of a Lexington Medical Center nursing home has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a statement released Saturday afternoon by the hospital.

On March 10 a resident in Lexington Medical Center’s Extended Care nursing home facility — located on Old Cherokee Road in Lexington — started exhibiting symptoms of the virus, hospital spokesperson Jennifer Wilson said. The patient was transferred to Lexington Medical’s main hospital on Sunset Boulevard and was tested for COVID-19.

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On Friday state health officials informed the hospital that the patient had tested presumptive positive for the coronavirus.

The presumed positive diagnosis for the virus has to be confirmed by the Center for Disease Control.

In its statement, Lexington Medical Center said its “first priority is the safety of our patients, employees and visitors.”

The medical center said that since being notified of the positive test it had been working closely with Department of Health and Environmental Control, which had given the hospital “clear direction on what actions and procedures to immediately put in place to protect our Extended Care residents and staff from further exposure.”

Wilson said Saturday that she could not confirm whether this was a new case of the coronavirus in South Carolina, and officials with the Department of Health and Environmental Control could not be reached Saturday to comment on the case.

The patient, who was only identified as a male, would be the 14th person who has been tested positive by state health officials.

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Lexington Medical Center is assessing which workers at the Extended Care facility, which operates like a nursing home and long-term medical rehabilitation center, may have come in contact with the patient. Those confirmed to have had contact are being monitored for symptoms of the virus, according to the hospital’s statement.

The hospital is also monitoring to see if any other residents of the nursing home show symptoms of the virus.

To date the Department of Health and Environmental Control has conducted 123 coronavirus tests. Of those tests, 13 came back positive and 110 were negative for the illness. The majority of cases are in Kershaw County, which has had nine confirmed or presumptive cases of the coronavirus. Lancaster County had two cases as of Friday while Charleston and Spartanburg counties have each had one confirmed coronavirus patient.

Wilson said Lexington Medical Center had treated one Kershaw County patient who tested positive for COVID-19 last week; the patient was eventually sent back home to self-isolate, Wilson said.

A nursing home in Washington has been devastated by the coronavirus. At the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, 22 people associated with the nursing home have died of COVID-19 with more than 30 others testing positive, The Kansas City Star reported.

BEHIND OUR REPORTING What you should know about the coronavirus The coronavirus is spreading in the United States. Officials are urging people to take precautions to avoid getting sick, and to avoid spreading the disease if they do contract it. Click the drop-down icon on this card for more on the virus and what you should do to keep yourself and those around you healthy. What is coronavirus? Coronavirus is an infection of the respiratory system similar to the flu. Coronaviruses are a class of viruses that regularly cause illnesses among adults and children, but this outbreak has spawned a new disease called COVID-19, a particularly harsh respiratory condition that can lead to death. Health officials believe COVID-19 spread from animals to humans somewhere in China. It spreads among humans by physical person-to-person contact, including via coughs. That’s why health officials urge sick individuals to avoid contact with other people. For more information, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What are the symptoms? Symptoms are similar to the flu and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath. How can I stop the spread of the coronavirus? Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. If you develop symptoms similar to the coronavirus, you should seek medical attention. Stay home from work or school and avoid contact with others. It can take up to 14 days after coming into contact with the virus to develop symptoms. COVID-19 is a new condition and there’s much about the disease we still don’t understand. For now, taking precautions is the best way to stop the spread of the coronavirus.