RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi health authorities say four more people have died after contracting a Middle East respiratory virus as the number of new confirmed infections climbs higher.

The Saudi health ministry said in a statement posted online late Wednesday that 18 new confirmed cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome were reported in the capital Riyadh, the western cities of Jiddah, Mecca, Medina, and the city of Najran, along the border with Yemen.

They included a 65-year-old woman suffering from pre-existing health problems who died in Riyadh. Three others who died had previously been confirmed infected either in the capital or in Jiddah.

MERS belongs to a family of viruses known as coronaviruses that include both the common cold and SARS. Saudi Arabia has reported 449 cases and 121 deaths from MERS.