PARIS (AP) – The French Health Ministry says a second case of a deadly new respiratory virus related to SARS has been confirmed.

A ministry statement issued Sunday said a hospital roommate of the 65-year-old man who initially contracted the virus has tested positive.

The two shared a room for a few days in late April at Valenciennes hospital in northern France, and hence were in ``prolonged and close contact.'' Both are now hospitalized in nearby Lille.

Four suspected cases, all people who had contact with the initial patient, were false alarms.

The novel coronavirus has killed 18 people since being identified last year in the Middle East, out of 30 confirmed cases reported to the World Health Organization since September 2012.

The first France patient had just returned from vacationing in Dubai.