Coronavirus

With the holidays fast approaching, many are wondering how to celebrate safely amid a pandemic -- and, luckily, we have some answers ... courtesy of a top doc in the field.

Dr. Abraar Karan joined us on 'TMZ Live' to ask him how to tackle Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's ... all while 'rona is still lurking. He gave us some great tips on flying, testing beforehand and gatherings in general.

Dr. Karan -- who works at the Harvard & Brigham Women's Hospital -- dropped much-needed knowledge about boarding commercial jets. He says improved air circulation has made air travel much safer, but there are still a few factors to keep in mind.

The most important one is ... how many other passengers are on board -- but he says the duration of the flight is also critical to reducing your COVID-19 risk. BTW, he also strongly suggests going windows down during Uber or taxi rides.

As for sitting around a dinner table ... Dr. Karan noted a few misconceptions about getting tested beforehand and thinking you're home-free for home gatherings. It's not quite that simple, and he explained why you could still unknowingly pass the virus ... along with the stuffing.

Clemson Tigers star Trevor Lawrence says he's doing great after recovering from COVID-19 ... with the QB telling reporters he's feeling "back to normal" and happy to rejoin the team.

The Heisman hopeful found out he contracted the virus on Oct. 29 ... and experienced symptoms like loss of smell, a headache, and, as he described it, feeling "pretty bad."

But, the 21-year-old is doing MUCH better now ... saying he's back to 100% and ready to suit up against Florida State this weekend.

"I feel good," Lawrence said. "I feel just as good as I did when I left a few weeks ago and back to normal."

Lawrence went 2 full weeks away from the team ... but says he's back in the groove with his teammates.

"Feeling good, getting my timing back with all my receivers and everything. Getting back in the swing of things, but I'm feeling really good."

As for playing through the pandemic, Lawrence says his experience has given him a new perspective on his love for the game ... and he's "appreciative to be back."

"Hosting? Plan a super spread." That's the tone-deaf holiday advertisement that's got an East Coast supermarket chain bending over backward to say sorry for its brain fart.

Giant Food ran the full-page ad in its own magazine, slapping the slogan in bold letters in front of a backdrop of grub synonymous with sharing ... including a shrimp cocktail platter, fruit tart and a cheeseboard.

The advertisement is encouraging folks to host holiday parties and entertain guests with foods that are easy to get your hands on and share -- but it's doing so using a phrase synonymous with COVID-19 outbreaks ... and as the virus is surging around the country. Basically, a horrible time for a "super spread."

As you know, health and government officials across the country are discouraging folks from getting together for large gatherings with Thanksgiving and the holidays fast approaching ... warning against potential super-spreader events.

The supermarket chain -- which has stores in Delaware, Maryland Virginia and D.C. -- should have known better ... after all, they're operating in Joe Biden and Dr. Fauci's backyards ... and now it's apologizing.

It's the most wonderful time of the year for Dodger fans -- the team has officially announced a drive-thru holiday extravaganza to help celebrate L.A.'s World Series title!!

The team can't currently celebrate with a normal parade through the City of Angels in honor of their 7th championship (thanks, COVID) ... so they came up with a safe way to honor the victory while spreading some holiday cheer at the same time.

Dubbed the "Holiday Festival," the Dodgers say the event will include "a light show, LED video displays, fake snow and interactive displays honoring the Dodgers World Championship and celebrating the holidays!"

The party will take place at the Dodger Stadium parking lot ... but don't get it twisted -- attendees will still be required to wear face masks when their car windows are down (we're looking at you, Justin Turner) ... as well as maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles.

The event starts the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) and runs through Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) ... and tickets go on sale Tuesday.

Santa Claus will still be at malls across America this year, but children will have to tell them what they want from 6-feet away and behind a pane of plexiglass. Great. Bah humbug.

As is tradition, Saint Nick is being brought back to malls as a holiday attraction, but he'll be a little less jolly ... courtesy of the coronavirus pandemic. Mall Santas this year come with a slew of COVID precautions for his sake and for the families visiting him.

Kids may be required to get a temperature check before approaching Kris Kingle's chair ... and there won't be any sitting on his lap in 2020. So much for that precious shot of little Tommy crying!

Instead, kids will have to deliver their Christmas lists from a socially distanced location -- like behind a transparent barrier like at this Bass Pro Shop in Bridgeport, CT -- and maybe while wearing a mask too.

As for getting a photo with Santa ... it will still be allowed from a safe distance, and everyone may still be required to put masks on, even though it covers up those cheerful smiles.

Of course, all of the rules will vary from state to state and city to city. Fact is, some malls might be shut down altogether due to surging COVID cases.

Bad news for the New York Giants -- kicker Graham Gano has just tested positive for COVID-19 ... hours after signing a big extension with the team.

The G-Men announced the test results on Tuesday ... and while they did not name Gano directly, multiple reports confirm it is the 33-year-old leg.

"Last night, we were notified that a player tested positive for COVID-19," the team said. "The player was immediately self-isolated, and the contact tracing process was initiated."

The Giants say 2 staff members were sent home after being identified as close contacts ... and the team facility will remain open for the time being.

It's a huge bummer for Gano -- the guy has been damn-near perfect this season -- making 21-22 of his field goals ... and all 16 of his extra-point attempts.

The Pro Bowl kicker was rewarded for his success on Sunday ... signing a 3-year, $14 million extension to stay in NY through 2023.

Any other year, these images wouldn't be a big deal -- people taking turns swiggin' from the Stanley Cup on a Florida beach.

But, we're in a FREAKIN' PANDEMIC -- with numbers surging in FL -- which is why a victory celebration over the weekend is now a major cause for concern.

The party took place at the famous Don CeSar hotel at St. Pete Beach (22 miles from Tampa International Airport) -- where a Tampa Bay Lightning asst. coach got to spend his 1 day with the trophy after the team won the 2020 championship.

The Tampa Bay Lightning tell us the coach who had the trophy that day is Jeff Halpern -- a former NHL player who spent 14 seasons in the league before joining the Lightning as an assistant.

You'd think Halpern would've learned after the backlash from a previous Stanley Cup celebration back in September -- when players passed the trophy around to random fans so everyone could take a drink.

This time ... we're told 44-year-old Halpern hosted a private celebration on the beach with family members and friends. Witnesses say there were about 50 people at the bash and at least 3 different people sipped from Lord Stanley's Cup.

Again, it happens ALL THE TIME in non-pandemic years -- but with COVID numbers on the rise, passersby tell us they were shocked at what they were watching ... because it did not appear anyone was making an effort to clean out and disinfect the Cup between drinks.

FYI, The Florida Dept. of Health reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases on Sunday -- the largest increase in months -- along with 29 resident deaths.

So far, the FDH says there have been more than 885k total COVID-19 cases in Florida since the pandemic began -- with more than 17k deaths.

COVID-19 is about to get tag-teamed -- a second vaccine is on the way, and Moderna says this one has an even higher success rate than the first.

On the heels of Pfizer's announcement it has a coronavirus vaccine more than 90% effective in preventing COVID infections, Moderna's apparently one-upping it ... claiming to have one that boasts a 94.5% success rate.

The pharmaceutical giant released its early data Monday, which Dr. Anthony Fauci calls "as good as it gets."

Fauci says vaccinations could begin as early as the second half of December for high-risk groups, and be available for the rest of the public starting in late April.

Moderna's vaccine trial included 30,000 study participants -- 15k of which were given the vaccine, and 15k were given a saline placebo.

Among the placebo subjects, 90 of them developed COVID-19 over several months, and 11 of those patients got a severe case.

Among those given the vaccine, only 5 got COVID and none were severely ill. Moderna says its vaccine did not have any serious side effects, but a small percentage of people experienced symptoms such as body aches and headaches.

The incredibly high efficacy -- for Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines -- is great news ... the stock market is soaring. However, think about this ... a reported 30 percent of Americans don't trust a vaccine, and won't take it. So, it's plausible some people will pick their social circles based on who does get vaccinated. Just a thought.

Moderna plans on applying for FDA authorization later this month after more it gathers more safety data.

Usain Bolt says Cristiano Ronaldo would "for sure" beat him in a foot race if the two decided to hit the track ... and yeah, he's dead serious.

The 8-time gold medalist was doing an interview with Spanish news outlet Marca over the weekend ... when he was asked straight-up -- who wins in a race RIGHT NOW??

"For sure Cristiano Ronaldo," the 34-year-old Jamaican legend says. "For me, he works out every day. He's a super athlete, you know what I mean?"

"He's always on top of his game. He works hard, he's focused. So right now, I definitely think he's faster than me."

With all due respect, Mr. Bolt -- WHAT ARE YOU SMOKIN'!?!?!

Sure, Bolt hasn't raced professionally since retiring in 2017 ... he's the fastest human being of all time. He crushed opponents easily for the majority of his career.

Also, back in 2009 Bolt was clocked at 27.8 mph -- the fastest recorded time in human history!!

Don't get us wrong, Ronaldo is a beast, too -- but he's just not in Usain's league when it comes to running in a straight line.

35-year-old Ronaldo was reportedly clocked at 21 mph during the 2018 World Cup, which is still fast ... but that's still 6 mph slower than UB's top speed.

Even if Bolt has gorged on donuts and milkshakes since his retirement (which he hasn't), we'd still bet on Bolt just from the muscle memory alone.

Also, Ronaldo just had COVID, which certainly doesn't help his chances.

Bottom line ... it's Bolt all day -- unless Ronaldo got a 35-yard head start AND Usain had to run backward.

Retired MLB star Jim Edmonds is pissed at his estranged wife for being reckless with COVID -- he claims her partying and jet-setting ways put his family in danger.

Jim's estranged wife, "Real Housewives of Orange County" alum Meghan King, says she's isolating after testing positive for COVID-19. Jim's rep, Steve Honig, tells TMZ ... Jim thinks Meghan has a lot of explaining to do because she attended a major Halloween event in St. Louis before jetting down to Miami, where she continued to party.

So, he says Jim's hardly surprised she announced she tested positive ... but he is pissed.

Videos and pictures from the Halloween bash show Meghan rubbing elbows with tons of people, the vast majority of whom are not wearing masks.

And, photos from Meghan's trip to Miami again show her with lots of maskless folks. She says she loves feeding her "wanderlust spirit" ... even in a pandemic.

A source close to the situation claims Meghan came over to Jim's house after her Miami trip to pick up their kids ... after allegedly being exposed to the virus. The source claims Meghan was hugging and kissing the kids, putting not only their children at risk, but also Jim's girlfriend.

Our source claims Meghan's lying about the timing of everything to make it seem like her reckless partying has nothing to do with her positive COVID diagnosis.

We're told after Meghan went public with her diagnosis Sunday, Jim reached out to her directly and expressed disappointment with her lack of responsibility.

Incredible honor for Laurent Duvernay-Tardif ... the NFL player who opted out of the 2020 season to help on the frontlines in the battle against COVID just had his PPE enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The HOF made the announcement this weekend ... saying the offensive lineman's mask, face shield, scrubs and lab coat will now be on display for all to see at the museum in Canton, Ohio.

As we previously reported, Duvernay-Tardif -- who earned his doctorate in 2018 -- chose to leave football this season in order to use his medical training to help those affected by coronavirus.

In a statement explaining his decision ... the 29-year-old said, "I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love. If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients."

It was a big deal for Duvernay-Tardif ... he was projected to be a key player on the Chiefs this season after he started for K.C. in their Super Bowl win over the 49ers last February.

Duvernay-Tardif has reportedly been working on the frontlines in his hometown of Quebec since announcing his opt-out in July.

Elon Musk was spectacularly triumphant Sunday over the historic SpaceX launch, but that didn't stop critics from slapping a 2020 label on him -- "Space Karen," and it all has to do with coronavirus.

Dr. Emma Bell tore into Musk after he groused that his COVID tests were, as he put it, "extremely bogus." As we reported, Elon wrote Friday, "Something extremely bogus is going on. Was tested for covid four times today. Two tests came back negative, two came back positive. Same machine, same test, same nurse."

That criticism didn't sit well with Dr. Bell -- who by the way, is a PhD -- who said, Rapid antigen tests trade sensitivity for speed. They return a result in [less than] 30 minutes, but can only detect COVID-19 when you're absolutely riddled with it. What's bogus is that Space Karen didn't read up on the test before complaining to his millions of followers."

Thing is ... Elon's right about the accuracy of the test -- it's dicey. Apparently, Dr. Bell thinks Elon's creating doubt over testing, which is a bad thing. On the other hand, it's Elon's opinion the test is bogus because he says it lacks reliability.

New York could really use the COVID vaccine Trump's threatening to withhold ... the Big Apple's still seeing unsanitary practices in wet markets, and it's on video.

The latest gross-out spectacle was on full display in Queens, where folks with the animal rights nonprofit, NYCLASS, caught a glimpse of what's still going on in our domestic one-stop-shop slaughterhouses and live animal factories.

In the gnarly footage, you see an unattended dumpster absolutely overflowing with trash bags, which appear to be packed to the gills with cut-up animal parts ... you can see a severed chicken head in a bag at the top of the heap as the dumpster sits out in the open on a sidewalk.

Not only that ... check out the blood leaking from the dumpster and flowing into the street, filling up cracks in the pavement like a mini river and puddling up.

We're told the dumpster is outside the same wet market where a similar scene was filmed back in May, so it seems like nothing has changed.

NYC and the rest of the country are dealing with another COVID wave, so it's pretty harrowing to see these unsanitary conditions still in practice.

It goes without saying, this is a massive public health risk 8 months into the pandemic.

We've seen several of these wet market operations from coast to coast, like this stomach-turning scene in California.

Trump likes to talk about red states and blue states ... well remember, wet markets are also operating in ruby-red Texas.

Ya gotta wonder why these issues aren't being talked about on a national level ... this is supposedly how COVID got started in the first place, right? Seems most politicians don't wanna get near this, for whatever reason. So, the question is, why?

NYCLASS executive director Edita Birnkrant says she constantly files complaints with regulators and contacts politicians and health officials, but nothing ever happens.

Jeremih is fighting for his life, battling COVID-19 -- he's currently hospitalized in the ICU and the prognosis is bleak ... sources tell TMZ.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the R&B singer is being treated at a hospital for COVID-19. It's unclear how long he's been admitted, or how long he's had the virus ... but he is not doing well.

Word that he was seriously ill started percolating online Saturday -- with rappers like 50 Cent, Chance the Rapper, producer Hitmaka and others asking for prayers on Jeremih's behalf, but not necessarily saying what exactly was wrong with him at first.

Fitty was the only one who gave a bit more insight, claiming it was COVID-related -- while also saying Jeremih was hospitalized in his native city of Chicago.

50 wrote, "pray for my boy Jeremih he’s not doing good this covid s*** is real." He added, "he's in ICU in Chicago."

Chance also touched on the seriousness of the situation, writing ... "Please if you can take a second to pray for my friend Jeremih, he is like a brother to me and he’s ill right now. I believe in the healing power of Jesus so if you can for me please please say a prayer over him."

The Foo Fighters are the latest big-name act to help out the crumbling live music industry -- the guys are about to put on a virtual show ... and the price of a ticket is worth its weight in gold for many folks hurting behind-the-scenes.

Dave Grohl and his bandmates are performing live Saturday from the Roxy in Hollywood -- and while you won't be able to join them in person ... you can watch them from your TV set at home for a low price of just $15, which gives you exclusive access to the intimate set.

If you're looking for a reason to tune in besides catching a sick band rock out -- here's one ... part of the proceeds collected here are going to an org called the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which collects cash for musicians, stagehands, venues, and other music industry workers who've taken a hard hit during this pandemic, with many being out of work.

Fact is, a lot of these guys and gals are in dire straits these days ... and they can use any help they can get, especially as these new stimulus checks continue to stall out in D.C.

Enter the Foo Fighters, not to mention a TON of other artists and bands who've stepped up and lent their talents to this cause. You might've recently heard about a multi-day virtual festival called Save Our Stages, which saw performances from Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Dave Matthews, Dillon Francis, The Roots, YG, Reba McEntire and even ... yes, the Foo Fighters (again).

The fact the boys are back for a second dose just shows how much they care about this -- as much as we talk about restaurants, movies and other industries being affected in this crisis ... music is often forgotten.

A newly-elected congresswoman is pissed she can't do her HIIT workouts in a gym -- instead having to sweat it out in her hotel -- but the fact she could pull it off might derail her point.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene -- who just won her congressional race in Georgia for the House of Reps. -- posted a video of herself Saturday which shows her in the midst of hardcore exercise ... a routine she says she'd normally do at a CrossFit facility in her home state.

She sounded pretty sour about having to do this in the confines of her D.C. hotel room, writing ... "I work out everyday in a CrossFit gym that is open. With people. Gyms are small businesses that have been devastated by the government mandated shut downs."

Rep. Greene added, "In DC, NOTHING is open bc of Democrat tyrannical control. So here’s my hotel room workout. We must FULLY reopen!" BTW, she's a Republican ... FYI. Also, it looks like Greene can get her CrossFit fix just fine from where she's at -- just sayin'!

Side note ... the GA congresswoman has been picking up major headlines since her Nov. 3 victory -- for one, she vocally rails against coronavirus guidelines, like masks and lockdowns, and parrots much of what President Trump has said these past few months on COVID.

She also flip-flops on her mask-wearing -- just like DT -- which was on full display these past couple days when she and other freshman congressmen and women touched down in the nation's capital for orientation ... where one day she was masked up, and the next not.