Daniel Radcliffe has refuted claims he has tested positive for coronavirus after it was claimed on Twitter he was the first celebrity to contract the disease.
False BBC Twitter account @BBCNewsTonight claimed the 30-year-old had contracted the virus, sparking concern amongst fans who shared it on the social media platform.
The tweet read: “BREAKING: Daniel Radcliffe tests positive for coronavirus. The actor is said to be the first famous person to be publicly confirmed.”
While the fake account may have looked legitimate upon a quick glance, having used an official BBC logo and a BBC-style handle, suspicions were raised when it was noted that the account only had 125 followers.
After the tweet was repeatedly shared and gained over 300,000 impressions according to BuzzFeed News, representatives for Radcliffe spoke out, stating the claims were “not true”. The account has since been suspended.
Coronavirus has infected over 100,000 people worldwide, with over 10,000 of those cases in Europe.
While Italy is the worst hit country with the disease outside of China, where the virus originated, the UK has seen cases of COVID-19 soar in more recent days.
The latest figures have confirmed that 383 people have tested positive for the virus, with health minister Nadine Dorries diagnosed with the disease.
Coronavirus has had a significant impact on the entertainment industry, with Daniel Craig’s last outing as Bond, No Time To Die, having been pushed back from its April release date due to the virus.
BTS were also forced to cancel their South Korea tour dates and it is likely Coachella will be postponed as a result of the outbreak.
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, which stars James Corden and Margot Robbie, has also seen its release date pushed back to August amid the outbreak.
