Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein is unwell and is being “closely monitored” in prison, a representative for the disgraced movie mogul has said.
The spokesman said the ex-producer has a fever, but would not “confirm nor deny” he had tested positive for COVID-19.
The 68-year-old is serving a 23-year sentence for rape at Wende Correctional Facility in Buffalo, New York – a maximum security prison.
A spokesman for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said they could not comment on individual cases but anyone displaying COVID-19 symptoms is immediately isolated and tested.
Weinstein is considered vulnerable to the disease due to his age, weight and other medical issues, including a heart condition and high blood pressure.
His health was a focus during his trial. He arrived at New York’s supreme court for the first day of his trial in January using a walking frame and looking frail.
After his 24 February conviction, Weinstein was sent to Bellevue Hospital amid concerns about high blood pressure and heart palpitations.
Around a month later, in March, a US federal prison union official said he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed in isolation.
Once one of Hollywood’s most influential figures, Weinstein was convicted of sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping former aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 following the landmark trial earlier this year.
Weinstein walked into court in January at the start of his trial using a walking frame and with the help of his lawyers
Prosecutors said Weinstein committed a “lifetime of abuse towards others”.
His conviction was hailed as a victory for the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct by powerful men.
Weinstein is facing new charges of sexual assault in Los Angeles and is alleged to have attacked five women in California from 2004 to 2013.
If convicted he faces up to 140 years to life in state prison.
More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct stretching back decades.
He has denied the allegations, saying any sex was consensual.
The Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love producer, whose other acclaimed films include Pulp Fiction, The English Patient and Gangs Of New York, was stripped of his CBE by the Honours Forfeiture Committee, following his rape conviction.