Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for coronavirus just weeks into his 23-year prison sentence for sexual assault, according to the Niagara Gazette.
Officials told the paper that the disgraced producer was one of two individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 at Wende Correctional Facility, where Weinstein was transferred to on Wednesday from Rikers Island. Representatives for Weinstein said they were unable to confirm that he has contracted the virus and New York State’s Department of Corrections says it “cannot confirm an individual’s medical record.”
On February 24, Weinstein was found guilty of sexually assaulting former “Project Runway” production assistant Miriam Haleyi and raping former actress Jessica Mann, and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
News of his infection comes as medical officials have voiced grave concerns that prisons could become hotbeds for rapid spread of the coronavirus due to close contact between inmates, urging for some prisoners to be released. The New York State Department of Corrections reported on Saturday that at least 38 have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state’s prisons.
Over 11,000 positive cases have been reported in New York with 60 deaths, while over 320,000 positive cases and over 13,000 deaths have been reported so far worldwide.