Coronavirus

Fake vaccine cards are selling like crazy ... and demand has shot up over the past few weeks, smack in the middle of the omicron surge.

First of all, this is terrible, and if it's not a crime ... it should be. The cards are going for around $250 ... $50 a pop more than they were going for back in September, and that means demand is high.

We're told thousands of people are hawking fake vaccine cards ... pretty shocking.

The folks studying the surge of fake cards tell us the price of the bogus cards will continue to rise as Omicron spreads and as people need to prove they've been jabbed ... and the holidays are accounting for increased sales.

The cards were originally sold on the dark web, but sellers have become emboldened as everything gets even more political and they're now selling the cards much more openly ... on various forums and chatrooms.

Jeff Lewis may be rethinking his comments about his holiday party, because a remark he made about COVID may have gotten his daughter rejected from private school.

Jeff said his 5-year-old daughter, Monroe, was just given the thumb's down from a private school, and he insinuated it's because he posted that he had a holiday party at the home of Lea Black. Jeff insisted they took precautions and made sure everyone was vaccinated, but he says in the days that followed, he, along with co-host Megan Weaver, his assistant Shane Douglas, "Shahs of Sunset" star Mercedes Javid Feight, actress Monika Casey and boyfriend Scott Anderson all tested positive for COVID.

And, then Jeff said, "That was an epic party. It was so worth almost dying for."

Jeff said Tuesday on his radio show that he was "exaggerating" when he said the party was "worth almost dying for."

He went on ... "If someone said to me, 'You're going to go to this crazy party, you're going to get wasted, s***faced, you're going to have crazy, drunken sex, whatever. You're going to go, but you're gonna get COVID. It's going to be light symptoms. It's going to be runny nose, achy, you're going to stay home for five days …' — I would still go to that party, yes."

And then he said, "But if someone said, 'Look, you're going to get COVID, and you're going to have these chills for 24 hours, you're not going to get warm, you're going to have a 104-degree fever, you're going to be delusional, whatever …' — no, I'm not going to go to that party. So, that's what I meant."

But still, he made light of his prognosis ... "There were a few days I thought were my last, so I did open up a few nice bottles of wine."

Jeff now says he and Gage Edward, his ex and also the father of Monroe, believe 4 or 5 other private schools may reject their daughter because of the post.

As for the first rejection, Jeff said, "... they got back to us right away. They said, 'We know who you are. We know who Monroe is and... we are not interested in Monroe.' That's what they said."

He blasted the school, saying, "She's a f***ing angel," why would you deny her? She has so much to offer to that school."

Monroe was actually kicked out of the Montessori preschool back in 2019, after parents started complaining that Jeff dragged the school on his radio show.

COVID is derailing the best-laid plans of New Year's Eve ... because some big bands have just pulled the plug.

CBS's "New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash" will air minus the Zac Brown Band, because Zac tested positive.

Sam Hunt and Elle King have also pulled out, citing COVID-19 protocols, organizers told The Tennessean.

As for Zac, he said, "To Our Fans, We are deeply disappointed to share that Zac Brown Band will no longer be performing at Nashville's Big Bash tomorrow night on CBS," adding, "Despite taking precautions, I've tested positive for COVID-19."

Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and countless other country stars are still scheduled to perform and keep the good vibes rolling into 2022!

So, you don't want to get the COVID vaccine because you don't trust the science ... well, here's an incentive -- you get the shot, you get to keep your hair.

Singer Ava Max says she's suffered hair loss after contracting COVID. She posted a vid Wednesday night, saying, "Baby hairs Comin THRU. "Also so so happy my hair is growing back. I lost a lot of hair when I had COVID last year!! :( "

Turns out ... the "My Head & My Heart" singer isn't making this up. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, hair loss is a consequence of the virus.

To be specific, the Academy says high fever from various illnesses, including COVID, can result in "noticeable hair loss."

It's actually not technically hair loss -- it's hair shedding. It typically begins 2 to 3 months after the fever subsides. Clumps of hair can come out after showering or brushing, and it can last for as long as 9 months before it stops.

Katy Perry is the queen of hip hops ... because she opened her Vegas residency with her own brew ... and you gotta see how she did it!

Katy was performing Wednesday night at Resorts World when she started yapping with a giant COVID mask about this and that ... and then had a hankering for a beer.

So, the 37-year-old mother of 1 was super resourceful, using the can attached to her dress to lactate a glass of Corona, and the crowd loved it.

At one point during the show, Katy popped out of a neon toilet.

It's interesting that Katy actually made COVID a theme in the concert, as you can see from the video.

She'll be doing 32 shows through March of next year. She'll also receive a Queen's ransom for her efforts ... reportedly $168 mil! It's not unprecedented ... Celine Dion and J Lo also made a fortune during their residencies in Sin City.

Simon Cowell quietly tried to save the life of Il Divo singer Carlos Marin ... by offering him a private jet so he could get treatment for COVID.

Simon's not the person who made this public ... it was Carlos' wife, Geraldine Larrosa, who told a Spanish outlet, "Simon personally phoned the hospital and offered to help with anything."

Geraldine says Simon offered to fly Carlos to Spain for some sort of treatment ... treatment that presumably was not available at Manchester Royal Hospital where he was fighting for his life.

Carlos' case was so severe, he had to be intubated. He died on December 19 at the age of 53.

Joe Rogan is sticking to his guns, canceling an upcoming show in Canada ... and it's all over the country's vaccine mandates.

Joe was scheduled to perform in Vancouver on April 20th -- yes, April 20th -- but British Columbia requires proof of vaccination in various situations and venues. The show, which is sold out, was supposed to go down at the Rogers Arena, and that's one of the venues requiring proof of vaccination.

Joe said on his podcast, "I should probably say this because I haven't yet. My 4/20 show that's sold out in Vancouver, I don't think that's happening." He went on ... "I don't think I can even get into the country. I'm not vaccinated. I'm not gonna get vaccinated. I have antibodies. It doesn't make any sense."

Joe plans on rescheduling the show, though it's unclear when.  It's unlikely the show will go on as long as the mandates are in place.

Aaron Rodgers -- who famously took Ivermectin and a concoction of other drugs to fight COVID -- says he's "100 percent" sure NFL teams are recommending his same med regimen to players to get over the virus.

The Packers superstar made the claim Tuesday on "The Pat McAfee Show" ... insisting that he knows for a fact teams believe his method of staving off coronavirus can work.

"I do know, behind the scenes," Rodgers said, "this is 100 percent true; there are many teams who are using -- who are recommending a lot of the same treatments that I got for their players."

As we reported, Rodgers said after he contracted coronavirus in November that he used a combination of drugs similar to Joe Rogan to recover from the virus quickly.

Rodgers said the meds included monoclonal antibodies, zinc, vitamin C and D, HCQ -- and the polarizing Ivermectin.

Rodgers reiterated Tuesday he believes it all truly helped him mitigate symptoms ... telling McAfee he thinks there are NFL teams that believe it too.

"If you have Delta like I did," Rodgers said. "There's treatment options that actually help."

Rodgers told McAfee he doesn't understand why the combo of drugs isn't being used more in the general public -- and then he went on to slam virus experts.

"If science can't be questioned, it's not science anymore," Rodgers said. "It's propaganda. That's the truth."

Allen Robinson's fight with COVID-19 was so bad ... the Bears star said he lost 10 pounds -- and is still recovering weeks after contracting the virus.

The wide receiver -- who's missed Chicago's last two games due to COVID -- opened up about his battle with coronavirus on Tuesday ... and he called it all a "beast."

The 28-year-old told reporters he experienced all of the common symptoms associated with COVID -- and added that even though he's getting better, he's still not 100 percent.

"Still kind of fighting through it," Robinson said.

Allen, though, said he's hopeful he can play for the Bears this weekend ... which would be big for the wideout, because he's had a mostly forgettable season so far.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says LeBron James' use of a COVID Spider-Man meme was so reckless ... it could cost people their lives.

The NBA legend sounded off on the Lakers superstar in a scathing post on Monday ... ripping LeBron for sharing an image that showed three Spider-Mans pointing at each other.

In the meme -- shared by LeBron over the weekend -- the Spider-Mans were labeled "COVID," "Flu" and "Cold" ... and LeBron captioned the image by saying, "Help me out folks."

Abdul-Jabbar said he was so peeved by the implication of the post ... he straight-up called it all a "blow to [James'] worthy legacy."

"By posting the uninformed meme," Abdul-Jabbar said, "LeBron has encouraged vaccine hesitancy which puts lives and livelihoods at risk."

Abdul-Jabbar then implored James to urge people to get the vaccines ... saying his support for the shots "could save thousands of Black lives right now."

As we reported, LeBron is vaccinated ... although he's said he will not pressure people to do the same, telling reporters before the season "That's not my job."

The woman who was arrested for getting violent with an older man over masks on a Delta flight made a smart-aleck remark about Rosa Parks ... and it sounds like it triggered the incident.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the arrested air traveler, Patricia Cornwall, a realtor and former NFL cheerleader, was returning from the restroom at the back of the plane when she encountered a flight attendant working the beverage cart, blocking the aisle.

Cornwall allegedly asked the flight attendant for help finding her seat and was told to find an open seat until beverage service was over, because it was a short flight.

Well, that seemed to piss off Cornwall ... the docs say she responded to the flight attendant, "What am I Rosa Parks?" ... and that's when her alleged victim told her she "isn't Black ... this isn't Alabama and this isn't a bus."

The docs say Cornwall then turned her attention towards the man, who told her to "sit down Karen" and prompted her to respond, "sit down p****" ... among other derogatory comments hurled from both sides.

The docs say Cornwall then struck the 80-year-old male passenger with a closed fist, hitting him in the head and injuring him before spitting at him for bad measure.

As we reported ... video shows Cornwall going nuts last week on the Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta, getting in the guy's face over his lack of a mask before punching him, spitting and needing to be forcibly restrained.

Cornwall's got an interesting career history too ... she's reportedly a realtor specializing in luxury properties who also used to be a cheerleader for the NFL's Raiders franchise back in the day.

The Atlanta Police Department tells TMZ ... cops responded to a disturbance call involving an unruly passenger and when they got to the gate for the arriving flight, passengers leaving the plane told them Cornwall caused a ruckus in the air.

Police say both passengers and Delta employees were injured in the in-flight scrap, and they detained Cornwall and contacted the FBI after gathering statements and observing visible evidence ... she was then taken into federal custody.

The docs say Cornwall has been hit with an assault charge ... and she can't travel on a commercial airline except to go home.

Diddy is doing the responsible thing with his enormous, annual New Year's Eve bash ... he's giving it the ax as the pandemic takes a turn for the worse.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... the mogul was planning to throw his annual NYE party in Miami Friday night, for 500 of his closest friends, but earlier this month he decided to cancel the whole thing due to rising COVID cases in Florida and across the nation.

This will be the second year in a row Diddy's NYE bash was put on ice.

Diddy hosted the party yearly before the pandemic hit, and the celebrity guest list was insane as you might imagine, but he also was forced to cancel in 2020, because most people had not yet been vaccinated.

Still, the Omicron variant is coming with a bunch of breakthrough cases for the vaccinated ... so it's the safe play to sideline the NYE soiree again.

The last time Diddy had his NYE party was back in 2019, when a bunch of celebs crammed into Story Nightclub in Miami ... including Fat Joe, Winnie Harlow, Meek Mill, DaBaby and DJ Khaled.

Jeff Lewis was in terrible shape after coming down with COVID, saying it spread like crazy at his holiday party, but adding, "That was an epic party. It was so worth almost dying for."

First off ... not a great thing to say because people really are dying. That said, according to Jeff, the party went down December 21st ... it was a Christmas bash he threw for 30 of his employees and others.

Jeff said on his SiriusXM radio show ... a bunch of people, including himself, began testing positive in the days that followed, including his co-host Megan Weaver, his assistant Shane Douglas, "Shahs of Sunset" star Mercedes Javid Feight, actress Monika Casey and his bf Scott Anderson.

Jeff says they took precautions at the party -- held at the L.A. home of Lea Black from "Real Housewives of Miami" fame. He says "People are saying we're reckless and stupid. No we're not, f***ers. We were all vaccinated and we had a nurse there testing all of us before we even went in the door."

And, Jeff went on to say he had a terrible case ... he was delirious with a fever that spiked as high as 104.5. Weaver echoed the pain, saying, "I was in a ball, shaking, chills, body aches, the whole thing."

Lewis says things turned around after a doctor came to his home and gave him monoclonal antibody therapy. He says things turned around in 12 hours.

He says his 4-year-old daughter, Monroe, is staying with her other dad, Gage Edward.

Jeff Bezos is a billionaire 9 ... 'cause he's showing off his impressive bod during a yacht trip with his girlfriend.

J.B. and Lauren Sanchez continued their PDA Xmas tour in the Caribbean. As we told you a few days back, the Caribbean -- in particular, St. Barts -- is a place where rich folk go to show off their yachts, competing for bragging rights. The larger the boat, the bigger the boast.

Jeff and Lauren have been ensconced in the area for nearly a week, showing tons of affection as they hiked, lounged and did whatever super-rich people do on vacay.

Jeff looks like he's been working out more lately ... the 57-year-old Amazon titan is super buff ... check out the arms!!!

Bezos has said he's following a strict regiment of 8-hours nightly sleep, healthy eating and working out.

They're able to bypass a lot in the midst of the Omicron outbreak -- like commercial flights -- but it's still dicey to go onshore given the rapid spread of the variant. It helps to have beefy security to keep normies at bay.

A woman got violent with an older man who refused to wear his mask on a plane -- to the point she actually smacked him and spat on him ... which landed her in hot water.

This gal's name is reported to be Patricia Cornwall, and she was flying Delta on Thursday from Tampa to Atlanta -- when, at one point during the trip, she went ballistic on an old dude ... apparently because he wouldn't put on his face covering while eating and drinking.

At least ... that's what he says in this insane video, which shows Cornwall getting in his face while she stands above him, and eventually strikes him at least once.

She doesn't seem to comprehend his rationale about not having to mask up while taking in food and beverage ... only repeating her demand, until the flight crew had to get involved.

They try and restrain her and push her back to her seat, but she struggles with them -- and eventually hawks one at the man ... who tells her she's going to jail for assaulting him twice. The woman doesn't care ... mocking him in his face, even after he calls her a "Karen."

Eventually, they get her under control ... and word is, Atlanta PD was on the ground waiting for her when they landed. Reports say she was taken to a nearby ADP station, and was then handed off to the FBI. Unclear what charges, if any, she's been booked for at this point.

Two more BTS members have now tested positive for Covid-19 -- bringing the total to 3 out of 7.

Rapper RM and singer Jin also contracted the virus of late ... this according to their management company, Big Hit Music. The diagnoses came down after the group's return to South Korea after touring the United States.

As far as the contraction timeline ... Reuters reports RM and Jin both received negative tests in early December after touching down in their home country -- but still had to quarantine anyway per S. Korea's Covid rules.

It wasn't long after that RM tested positive ... just as he was about to exit the local 'rona protocols. Jin, meanwhile, tested negative twice upon leaving quarantine ... but soon, he too felt symptoms and was deemed to be positive. They're considered breakthrough cases.

Like we told you ... Suga, another BTS member, tested positive as well. Big Hit Music makes sure to note that none of them have been in contact with their other bandmates ... the remaining 4 who are negative for now.