Coronavirus

Khloe Kardashian contracted COVID-19 earlier this year -- and the symptoms were so bad, Kris Jenner called every doctor she could think of for help.

Khloe's diagnosis is included in a new "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" trailer ... where she says she quarantined in her room because the symptoms were "really bad for a couple of days." She says she was vomiting, shaking and had hot and cold flashes. She said she also got some terrible headaches and her chest burned from all the coughing.

The clip shows the family tension as they waited for Khloe's results -- Kim said, "I mean, my gut tells me she does, just because she's so sick. And, that really scares me for her, 'cause I can tell that she's now getting scared and that she's really nervous about it."

This is not the first time Kim's had a scary encounter with the potentially deadly disease. Kanye West revealed back in July during a Forbes interview he contracted the virus and suffered from similar symptoms. Earlier this month, Kim revealed Kanye got sick around the same time Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson announced their diagnosis back in March.

Kim said taking care of Kanye was scary at the time because the virus and its effects were largely unknown to the population. She said taking care of Kanye included changing his sheets while wearing gloves and a face shield.

Khloe's urging fans to follow precautions and stay safe. She's clearly back to her old self ... after recently hitting up Kim's 40th birthday extravaganza on a private island.

The Houston Texans are shutting down their team facility ... after one of their players tested positive for COVID-19.

"Late last night, we received notice that a Texans player tested positive for COVID-19," the Texans said in a statement.

The infected player is reportedly backup guard Max Scharping, according to the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson. The 24-year-old 2nd round draft pick has been placed on the reserve-COVID list.

The team says they've totally shut down their practice facility ... and have already started contact tracing to make sure no other players were exposed to the virus.

"In accordance with NFL protocols, the player immediately self-isolated and our Infection Control Officer and other members of the Infection Response Team began working with the NFL to perform contact tracing."

"Our facility will be closed today to players for deep cleaning."

Luckily for the Texans, the team is on their bye week ... so assuming there isn't a significant breakout, their November 8 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars likely won't be impacted.

"We are in close consultation with the NFL, as well as our team of independent doctors and specialists, and will follow their guidance regarding our scheduled bye week operations."

"The health and safety of our team, as well as our entire staff, are of highest priority."

Wild Tuesday night for the L.A. Dodgers -- they won the World Series and also ignited major COVID concerns after Justin Turner tested positive DURING THE GAME!!

The Dodgers star 3rd baseman was pulled from the game in the 7th inning -- but nobody knew why at first.

It was later revealed 35-year-old Turner had taken a COVID test that came back inconclusive on Monday. He was re-tested on Tuesday -- and that test came back positive.

As soon as the lab got the results from the Tuesday test, they informed MLB. An MLB official immediately called the Dodgers and ordered them to pull Turner, but it was already the 7th inning.

The Dodgers went on to win the game 3-1, thanks to some solid hitting from Mookie Betts.

But, as the players stormed the field to celebrate, Turner was nowhere to be found ... already in quarantine because of the COVID test.

After the game, Commissioner Rob Manfred explained ... "We learned during the game that Justin was positive. He was immediately isolated to prevent spread."

Turner did not celebrate with the team on the field -- but now there are new concerns about possible exposure to other players, coaches, staffers, etc.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reports ... when the Dodgers return to the team hotel, everyone will take a rapid PCR test.  Passan says it's unclear if the COVID news means the team will stay in Dallas ... or if they will try to travel back to L.A. Passan says the situation is "fluid."

But, the question ... how many people could have been exposed in the 8 innings Turner played on Tuesday before he was yanked??

This could be a huge problem ...

Turner later tweeted about the situation -- saying, "Thanks to everyone reaching out! I feel great, no symptoms at all."

"Just experienced every emotion you can possibly imagine. Can’t believe I couldn’t be out there to celebrate with my guys! So proud of this team & unbelievably happy for the City of LA #WorldSeriesChamps."

As for the game itself, the Dodgers battled back from a 1-0 deficit and took a 2-1 lead in the 6th inning. Mookie Betts extended the lead with a solo HR in the top of the 9th.

Final score, 3-1 ... clinching the series for L.A., 4 games to 2.

Corey Seager was named World Series MVP.

It's the first World Series title for longtime Dodgers stars like Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger and company.

Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson was on hand in Dallas and was going crazy when the Dodgers won. Awesome moment!

The Blue Crew had made it to the World Series in 3 of the last 4 years -- but lost to the cheating Houston Astros in 2017 and then the Boston Red Sox in 2018.

But, this was L.A.'s year ... the pitching, the hitting -- even the coaching was top notch. Shout-out Dave Roberts.

As we previously reported, the L.A. Lakers have postponed their victory parade until they get the all-clear from L.A. City and County officials due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's likely the Dodgers will follow suit.

In the meantime, CONGRATS and get well soon, Justin Turner!

The New England Patriots look like crap and Dave Portnoy couldn't care less ... with the Barstool Sports founder telling TMZ Sports there are much bigger issues to worry about -- like COVID-19.

It's been a different experience for Pats Nation in 2020 -- the team is 2-4 for the first time since 2000(!!!) and players like Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore have dealt with coronavirus.

We spoke with El Presidente out in NYC fresh off the Pats' 33-6 loss to the 49ers ... and he says it's pointless to care about the season when there's a pandemic going on.

"Cam Newton had COVID, he probably still has COVID, a lot of people have died from COVID, so we should be focusing probably on bigger things," Pres told us Monday.

Of course, Portnoy was singing a different tune after Week 1 ... saying it was "business as usual" after Cam's Pats beat the Miami Dolphins in the season opener.

Now, he's questioning everything.

"Does this season even count? Those are the bigger questions that I feel like, right now, we as a people should be discussing. Not wins and losses in a season that'll go down as not counting."

He added, "We're in a major pandemic here. Lives are being lost. That's the bigger issue. That's what I'm focusing on."

You've probably heard it a million times -- this is the most important election of our lives -- and it's probably the most expensive too ... based on the millions it's costing to try to keep voters safe.

Get this ... the estimated cost in L.A. County for this year's general election is $91.7 million -- $33 MILLION more than 2016's price tag of $58.5 mil.

We're told the added cost is the result of the massive amounts of products needed to clean and sanitize voting devices after each voter ... along with all the soap, sanitizer and PPE provided for voters and workers.

There are also added operational costs in making voting locations socially-distant compliant ... and special care for disabled voters or those with health vulnerabilities.

Houston's experiencing a similar surge in general election costs this year compared to 2016 -- $33.2 million up from just $4.06 mil ... according to a spokesperson for Harris County.

Among the new expenses -- providing PPE including masks, gloves, and a "finger condom" to all voters ... because all the voting stations have electronic touch screens.

Here's a strange scene right out of the Big Apple about a week and change out from Election Day -- hundreds of people lined around city blocks to vote in person at the first opportunity available.

The first day of early, in-person voting started Saturday in NYC ... and a WHOLE LOT of New Yorkers were eager to get out the vote the good old-fashioned way -- namely, standing in line for hours in chilly weather, just to cast their ballot and make sure it went through.

The good news ... many of them (we'd say the vast majority) are wearing face coverings and appear to be social distancing as best they can out there. The weird part ... just seeing the throngs of bodies insistent on voting in person, when voting by mail is an easier option and has actually been encouraged.

It's interesting ... the sheer number of people who seem dead set on exercising their right in this fashion -- especially during a pandemic, and especially in a place that used to be the epicenter of said pandemic. In our minds, it speaks to a couple of things happening.

For one, President Trump has waged a war against mail-in voting (and voting in general) ... constantly sowing doubt about the legitimacy of the process, suggesting voter fraud is rampant and even stripping down the Post Office from the inside out, via a lack of funding and a new Post Master General -- who's implemented a lot of what Trump's demanded.

We've seen reports of mailboxes being yanked out of the ground and sorting machines sidelined ... not to mention long delays in mail delivery, so people have reason to worry.

A family in New Mexico just got a helping hand after their young son was spotted using his closed school's WiFi ... since there was none available to him at home.

Roswell resident Angel Endecott says a good Samaritan stepped up and volunteered to pay for her family's Internet service for a year after a photo of her 10-year-old, Jonathon, sitting outside of his shuttered elementary school went viral, depicting him lying on the floor outside his school while using a computer for class time. The reason ... he needed access to WiFi.

Jonathon's mom says she and her husband had lost their jobs during the pandemic, and as a result ... had to cut off their Internet provider, among other things. Jonathon's still doing online learning, so they suggested he hit up the nearby campus to get a signal.

Luckily, the story had already gotten picked up after a few weeks of this ... so Endecott and co. don't have to worry about WiFi anymore. She says she's got other problems though, and has opened a GoFundMe account to solicit donations. Another GoFundMe to help other kids at the school who might not have WiFi has also been created. Both have raised thousands of dollars.

Jonathon's predicament is reminiscent of another one in California, where two little girls had to resort to hitting up a local Taco Bell for Internet. Just goes to show ... this isn't an isolated problem, and that schools offer a lot more than a basic education to a lot of families.

President Trump's talking like he and Dr. Anthony Fauci are still on friendly terms -- despite each jabbing the other lately -- but that's news to Fauci, who says he has zero access to the Oval Office.

Dr. Fauci essentially said he's been bumped, telling NBC's Chuck Todd he no longer has the President's ear -- even though the coronavirus pandemic is ramping up again over most of the country.

The good doc says Trump is now listening more to Scott Atlas, the neuroradiologist and conservative think tank member the President added to the task force this summer.

Unlike what we've heard in recent weeks, Fauci did NOT take a shot at Trump for the shift -- watch, he says it more matter-of-factly -- but instead, he's still sharing his knowledge with Vice President Mike Pence and the rest of the Coronavirus Task Force.

He added, Pence relays information to Trump, who hasn't attended a task force meeting in several months. Worth noting ... the country reported at least 75,049 new COVID cases Thursday, the second-highest daily total since the pandemic started.

Great time for a game of telephone.

White House security is looking pretty lax in new video showing Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Borat' costar easily gaining access and coming within feet of President Trump.

The footage is of Maria Bakalova -- who plays Borat's daughter in the newly released sequel -- and shows her getting a tour of the White House press briefing room by OANN reporter Chanel Rion. It appears Rion, a regular member of the WH Press Corps, and her outlet were duped last month into getting Maria onto the White House grounds somehow.

There's also footage of Maria within feet of POTUS at a reception for Trump supporters back in February in Phoenix -- and there she's seen shaking Donald Trump Jr.'s hand. She was blonde at that time.

BTW ... Maria gaining access into the White House is NOT in the newly-released film, but it calls into serious question the security measures in place at 1600 Penn. Sacha claims Maria wasn't checked for a credential, nor did she have a COVID-19 test.

Astronauts are voting from space, millions are mailing ballots and patients battling COVID-19 are voting from their hospital beds ... welcome to the 2020 election.

Voter turnout is expected to be on the rise for what you've, no doubt, heard is the election of our lifetime ... and a non-partisan group called Patient Voting is making sure hospital patients don't get left out.

The group's founder, Kelly Wong, tells TMZ ... they've seen a huge influx in patients seeking help in casting ballots, and they're using the little-known emergency absentee ballot.

Here's how it works ... patients who are unexpectedly hospitalized without arrangements to vote by regular absentee ballot can request an emergency absentee ballot if they're unable to make it to the polls, or if it's too late to apply for regular absentee ballots.

It's pretty striking ... we're told about 200 people per day are reaching out to the organization for help, a 5-fold increase compared to the midterms. The obvious difference this year -- the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected 8 million Americans and counting.

Sadly, we're told some people who reached out for ballots and info died from COVID before casting a vote.

Then there's the case of a voter in Washington ... we're told they're hospitalized with COVID but their ballot is at home, and the volunteer org is assisting in helping the patient vote electronically so as not to infect others.

The NHL season will NOT be kicking off in the great outdoors -- 'cause the league has just officially postponed the 2021 Winter Classic.

The Minnesota Wild were set to host the St. Louis Blues at Target Field in Minneapolis on Jan 1 ... but NHL officials are now hoping to get it done in 2022, when fans can attend -- AKA, when we're hopefully not still in a pandemic.

The All-Star Weekend festivities -- scheduled to go down in Jan. 2021 -- has also been pushed, the league said Thursday.

"Fan participation, both in arenas and stadiums as well as in the ancillary venues and events that we stage around the Winter Classic and All-Star Weekend, is integral to the success of our signature events,” NHL Senior EVP and COO Steve Mayer said in a statement.

"Because of the uncertainty as to when we will be able to welcome our fans back to our games, we felt that the prudent decision at this time was to postpone these celebrations until 2022 when our fans should be able to enjoy and celebrate these tentpole events in-person, as they were always intended."

The league says it still plans to start its 2021 season at the beginning of the year ... so, at least there WILL be hockey ... just indoors.

The gloves were already off, but now the sneeze guards are down for the final presidential debate between President Trump and Joe Biden.

The Commission on Presidential debates made the decision Thursday after Trump and Biden each tested negative for the virus just hours before the debate goes down in Nashville. The commission, after consulting with Dr. Anthony Fauci, decided it was safe to remove the 2 plexiglass barriers between the candidates' lecterns on stage.

After the commission's medical team felt it was safe, they consulted both campaigns and they too agreed it was OK to remove them ... according to NBC News.

No "Sunday Night Football" for Tom Brady this week ... the NFL has MOVED UP the Raiders vs. Bucs game to daytime in the wake of a possible COVID outbreak in Las Vegas.

The strategy makes sense ... at least one Raiders player has tested positive for COVID and there are concerns several more players may have been exposed.

So, for now, the league has shifted the game out of the prime time slot -- instead Raiders vs. Bucs will kick off at 1:05 PM PT.

That frees up the league to move another game into prime time -- Seahawks vs. Cardinals ... Russell Wilson vs. Kyler Murray!

Here's the logic ... there's a chance more Raiders could test positive and the league may have to make a last-minute decision about moving the game to another date.

But, they still want to have a game in that prime time Sunday night spot. Get it?

There don't seem to be any COVID concerns with the Seahawks or the Cardinals at the moment -- and there are big stars on both teams. It's a safe move. Smart.

Cristiano Ronaldo ain't out of the woods yet ... he reportedly tested positive for COVID again, which means he won't be able to join his Juventus teammates to take on Barcelona next week.

Remember, the 35-year-old soccer superstar initially popped for COVID last week (it was announced Oct. 13) -- and was sent home from practicing with the Portugal national team.

CR7 has since been posting photos on social media showing him training and relaxing in his mansion -- with a big ol' smile on his face.

He even posted a pic of his freshly-shaved head on Thursday morning -- flaunting a ridiculously expensive watch.

But, behind the scenes, Ronaldo -- one of the top athletes on the planet -- is still battling coronavirus, according to Spanish outlet Marca.com.

The new positive test means he'll have to miss at least another week of action before he can join his Champions League club Juventus, which is scheduled to take on Lionel Messi's Barca squad on Wednesday.

It's heartbreaking news -- EVERYONE was looking forward to Ronaldo vs. Messi!

But, in order to be cleared to participate in a UEFA match, a player must test negative for an entire week before a game ... and now that's off the table.

Sucks, but if you're gonna have to self-isolate for another week -- at least Ronaldo has a gigantic mansion to enjoy ... with a private pool, gym, etc.

Donald Trump is showing major love to ex-Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden -- praising the 90-year-old for making a "full recovery" from COVID.

As we previously reported, Bowden was hospitalized at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare earlier this month after testing positive for coronavirus.

Bowden was released from the hospital last week -- and issued a statement on Wednesday thanking everyone for the support ... while reinforcing his support for Trump.

"I just went through a battle with COVID-19 and God just wasn't ready to take me home yet to be with him," Bowden said.

He added, "I’ve had the chance to get a lot of wins in my life, but I really wanted to win this one because I wanted to be around to vote for President Trump."

Well, POTUS got the message -- and tweeted about Bobby on Thursday morning ... calling him "great" while reposting Bowden's pro-Trump message.

"Over 300 wins and 2 National Championships," Trump added, "Thank you to Florida State for giving us Bobby Bowden!"

Bad news for the Las Vegas Raiders ... offensive lineman Trent Brown has tested positive for COVID -- and there are concerns the rest of the starting linemen could have it too.

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden just told the media all 5 starting offensive linemen were sent home from practice on Wednesday due contract tracing ... stemming from Brown's positive test.

Gruden says he's not happy about the situation -- but made it clear the health of his players is the priority.

The issue ... the Raiders are set to play a pretty important game against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday -- and many are wondering if the Silver & Black will have to take the field without their starting offensive line!

Gruden doesn't seem too concerned yet ... telling the media, "We’ll have 5 on Sunday, we’ll be ready to go."

Gruden says ... this is just the way it is (playing football during a pandemic) and he'll do the best he can to make sure the team is ready by Sunday.

As for Brown, he'll be tested and retested to make sure the positive test is accurate -- and not a false positive.