Harvey Weinstein tests positive for coronavirus in prison: report

The disgraced Bollywood mogul, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison earlier this month, has reportedly been tested positive for coronavirus.

The 68-year-old ex producer was allegedly undergoing medical evaluations at the maximum security facility in the New York State town of Alden.

Weinstein has already experienced medical complications, and was rushed to Bellevue hospital after his sentencing with alleged high blood pressure.

Weinstein's spokespeople have declined to comment to US media on the subject.

According to medai report, New York Board of Corrections released a statement about the spread of the virus in prisons in the state.

It read: "Significantly fewer people in jail will limit the spread of COVID-19 infection among people in custody and those who work in the jails, minimize the number of people in custody who will need medical care, decrease the density of housing areas for people who remain in jail, and allow New Yorkers to maintain connections with and support from their loved ones."

Weinstein was transferred Wednesday to a prison near Buffalo, 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of New York City.

Crowded US prisons have the potential to become hotbeds for coronavirus infections. Last week, guards at Rikers and New York's Sing Sing prison tested positive for the virus, local media reported.

As of Sunday, the virus has killed 417 people in the US out of more than 33,000 cases, according to a tracker managed by Johns Hopkins University.

Weinstein was convicted in February of a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree, while being cleared of predatory sexual assault charges.

He was convicted of raping ex-actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and of forcibly performing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006.

Nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, have leveled sexual misconduct allegations against Weinstein, the Oscar-winning producer of "Shakespeare in Love" and numerous other critical and box office hits.