Coronavirus

The rich and powerful are skipping to the front of the line to get the COVID-19 vaccine ... and Hollywood's elite are going to great lengths to get the shots.

Tinseltown's titans are using every trick in the book to get vaccinated ... private and boutique physicians, concierge health services, private flights to Florida for vaccine tourism ... and those are just the legal avenues, according to Variety.

In Beverly Hills, Dr. Robert Huizenga claims his practice is getting offered five-figure bribes from folks desperate to get the shots, including power players in the entertainment industry. The doc also told Variety people are trying to skip the vaccine lines by dubiously getting hired in the healthcare industry.

There's also allegations of big-time hospital donors trying to twist arms for early access to vaccines, and wealthy clients pressuring concierge docs to find the hookup.

The mad dash for vaccines in California are partly a result of the state's slow rollout and eligibility requirements ... to get a shot, you need to work in healthcare or be at least 65 years old.

Still, a few celebs are getting shots just like everyone else toiling on the waiting lists, with no funny business involved. 73-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger waited in line at Dodger Stadium's mass vaccination site, while 78-year-old Harrison Ford reportedly booked his own appointment last week and waited in line for 2 1/2 hours at an LA-area community college.

Some of the loopholes are closing ... Florida's cracking down on vaccine tourism, with people now being required to show proof of residency to get a shot. However, the rich and powerful are now said to be pulling the same stunts in Hawaii.

We've told you about some of these issues before ... like COVID vaccines going to non-priority people, even though it was actually a good thing for L.A.

Officials DO NOT believe the COVID-19 vaccination played any role in Hank Aaron's death based on a preliminary investigation -- this according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office.

The 86-year-old MLB legend and his wife received the first of 2 vaccine doses at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta on Jan. 4. Hank died just a few weeks later on Jan. 22.

Some had concerns the vaccine may have been a factor in the slugger's death -- but a rep for the FCME tells TMZ Sports it appears Hank died of natural causes unrelated to the COVID shot.

As we previously reported, Hank -- along with other prominent Black leaders -- decided to get the shot in front of the media in hopes of showing others in the community that the vaccine is safe.

One of the people who got vaccinated with Aaron is Ambassador Andrew Young -- who told KSDK in Atlanta the MLB legend "never had any reaction" to the shot before his death.

"I talked to the fella who was his driver," Young told KSDK ... "And I said, 'Was Hank feeling any discomfort or any problem over the last few days?' And he said, 'No.'"

We're told Aaron's primary doctor will ultimately sign off on cause of the death on Hank's death certificate -- but so far, there does not appear to any evidence showing a link to the COVID vaccine.

Aaron -- one of the greatest baseball players of all time -- raved about the vaccine in the days after the shot ... telling AP, "[It] makes me feel wonderful. I don’t have any qualms about it at all."

"I feel quite proud of myself for doing something like this. ... It’s just a small thing that can help zillions of people in this country."

Hank Aaron's life has been celebrated by some of the most famous and powerful people on Earth -- including President Biden, President Barack Obama, Magic Johnson, Mike Trout, Barry Bonds and more.

Air travel could be a lot safer than it is now, when it comes to COVID-19 -- instead of relying on the honor system to screen passengers, dogs that can sniff the virus could be deployed.

The dogs are being trained at Florida International University, and Dr. DeEtta Mills, who's leading the program, joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" to explain how the canines get up to snuff.

The good doc says their program is similar to how dogs learn to detect bombs and drugs -- but instead of explosives and contraband, trainers used discarded face masks from COVID-positive patients.

The NBA's Miami Heat are about to start using coronavirus-sniffing dogs to screen fans at AmericanAirlines Arena ... and Dr. Mills thinks our airlines and airports could adopt the process too.

Virus-sniffing dogs are already being used to detect COVID-19 in Chile, United Arab Emirates and Finland. Researchers say the highly-trained canines detect the disease with almost 100% accuracy.

Tom Brady's father says both he and his wife battled COVID at the beginning of this NFL season -- with Tom Brady Sr. needing to be hospitalized for 3 weeks.

"I was in the hospital with COVID for almost 3 weeks and my wife was sick with COVID at the same time," Tom Sr. said Monday morning on ESPN's 'Greeny' radio show.

"We didn't even see the first 2 games of the year. First 2 games I've ever missed in his career because I was sick as a dog and my wife was sick as a dog."

"It was a matter of life and death just like anybody [who] goes into the hospital ... serious stuff."

Seems Tom Sr. had a much tougher time with COVID than his wife, Galynn -- who is a breast cancer survivor.

Fortunately, both Tom Sr. and Galynn are doing much better now -- but Tom says the whole thing was scary.

"We’ve never missed a game [when Tom was playing] at Michigan or New England or wherever. [But] for the first 2 games [of the 2020 NFL season] when I was in the hospital, I didn’t even care if [The Bucs] were playing much less missing the game."

Tom Sr. says his son "fought through it" and continued to play -- but the news definitely explains Tom's unusually bad play in the Week 1 opener against the Saints, when the Bucs lost 34 to 23 and Tom threw 2 interceptions.

"Now it’s in the rearview mirror," Tom Sr. said ... "We’re healthy, we’re happy and everything is good."

Still, Tom says his son tries to FaceTime him every single day on his way to and from practice.

A passenger on a Frontier Airlines flight was coughing and sneezing, and when the passenger in front of him complained to the flight attendant, the passenger was told he had the option of driving ... and the exchange got even hotter after that.

It went down Thursday on a flight from Miami to Philly. The passenger who shot this video was in seat 25C on a packed flight. The passenger in row 26 right behind him was hacking and sneezing, to the point the passenger in 25C requested to move to the back of the plane.

He moved to the back, and after the plane landed he complained to the captain the guy in row 26 was clearly sick. A flight attendant intervened, and said, "You have an option. You can drive your car if it's a problem," adding, "You can't tell people to get off the plane if they got a cough and they're sneezing."

The passenger persisted, claiming the other passenger was sick, to which the flight attendant fired back, "You're no doctor."

We're told passengers had a temperature check at the gate before boarding.

At one point a flight attendant who is not seen in the video tells the passenger he should be on a no-fly list and the flight attendant you see agrees. Again, the captain is looking on during the exchange.

The complaining passenger did not file a complaint with Frontier. We reached out to Frontier Airlines ... so far, no word back.

Larry King -- the legendary TV and radio host who conducted more than 30,000 interviews in a storied 60-year career -- has died.

King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center early Saturday ... this, according to Ora Media, the media company Larry co-founded.

Larry was diagnosed with COVID-19 over the holidays, and was hospitalized in the ICU at one point, but had recently been moved to a regular hospital room, and was breathing on his own. Things took a turn, and King died Saturday morning.

Larry -- government name Lawrence Harvey Zeiger -- started his career in radio as a disc jockey at WAHR-AM in Miami ... after officially changing his last name to King.

His voice would ultimately land him jobs at radio stations across America before finding fame with "The Larry King Show." The nationally-syndicated late-night radio talk show debuted in 1978 across 28 cities ... and in just 5 short years the show was heard in 118 cities.

Larry's career catapulted to the big time when, in 1985, "Larry King Live" premiered on the fledgling CNN. He interviewed just about every iconic figure ... from Sir Paul McCartney, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Marlon Brando (they kissed on the lips in 1994) to Presidents Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Larry also interviewed Vladimir Putin.

Larry was a unique talent and an incredible interviewer who made his craft look effortless. He was completely absorbed in conversations with his guests, and he did something that escapes many other interviewers -- HE LISTENED. Larry wasn't thinking about his next question -- he was always in the moment. And something else ... he never asked long questions just to hear himself talk. His questions were short, and almost always on point.

The popular late-night TV show aired its last episode on December 16, 2010 ... becoming CNN's most-watched and longest-running program. But, he didn't exactly go away quietly ... Larry's one-man comedy show "Larry King: Stand Up" debuted 4 months later. He also started "Larry King Now" ... an online series that later migrated to Russian-owned news channel, RT.

Larry loved getting married almost as much as doing interviews -- he did it 8 times ... to Freda Miller (1952), Annette Kaye (1961), Alene Akins (1961), Mickey Sutphin (1963), Alene again (1967), Sharon Lepore (1976), Julie Alexander (1989) and Shawn (1997). He filed for divorce from Shawn in 2019.

The last time we saw Larry was in February 2020, when he mused on the upcoming Dodgers season. The Brooklyn native and lifelong Dodgers fan watched them win their first World Series in 32 years after the COVID-shorted 2020 season.

Larry -- who published more than 20 books and had a USA Today column for decades -- coped with various ailments throughout his life ... mostly heart problems. He suffered several heart attacks and, in 1987, had quintuple bypass surgery. In fact, Larry married his most recent wife, Shawn King, at UCLA Medical Center where he was being treated for chest pains.

Larry tied the knot with Shawn just before undergoing heart surgery.

Just this past July, Larry's son Andy King, 65, unexpectedly passed away of a heart attack in late July, while his daughter Chaia King, 52, died just weeks later from lung cancer.

Larry's survived by 5 children ... Cannon, Chance, Danny, Kelly and Larry Jr. He was 87, and what an accomplished and full 87 years they were.

Getting vaccinated -- or at least a willingness to -- might be the key to love in the 21st century ... because it's apparently all the rage on dating apps these days.

Reps for Tinder, Bumble and OkCupid have all recently said they're seeing a major uptick in how many times their users are mentioning the words "vaccine" or "vaccinated' in their bios, not to mention how many are using vaccination readiness as a screener for matches.

Tinder says the number of times "vaccine" has been mentioned in user bios has risen as much as 258% between the months of September and December ... including casual mention of it, like ... "if you believe in the 5-second rule...don't worry about what's in the vaccine."

Bumble says it's seen a "steady increase" in how often "vaccine" is mentioned in bios, and OkCupid says those who indicate they've already gotten vaccinated or willing to are being liked at double the rate of people who openly say they're not interested in getting it.

OkCupid has also tailored its profile questionnaire to cater to the pandemic, with questions about what one might consider an ideal lock-down date, etc. Bumble has similar filters.

Here's the thing though ... there's a big chance that the people being mentioned here are simply TALKING about vaccines, as opposed to actually being vaccinated -- assuming we're talking about 20-somethings, who make up the biggest group of users on these apps.

Unless you work in healthcare or education as a 20-something, you're probably not vaccinated yet -- as it isn't available for that age group. For now ... frontline workers, essential workers and the elderly have priority, and who are supposed to be getting it first.

Dave Chappelle clearly thinks there's nothing funny about potential exposure to COVID-19 -- much less contracting it -- because he went all out to keep his Austin shows as safe as possible.

That's according to his pal, Donnell Rawlings, who joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and revealed Chappelle had strict COVID protocols in place for everyone -- from performers and staffers to servers and every single audience member.

Donnell tells us he's never worked with anyone who takes as much precaution as Chappelle. In fact, Donnell says Dave dropped a whopping $300k to have people tested in his community of Yellow Springs, Ohio for his shows there last year.

As for how Chappelle contracted the virus ... Donnell says he doesn't know and wonders ... how does anyone really know? That being said ... he's all down for strict measures, and he's glad his comedian pal's taking it seriously.

So much so ... Donnell said, "Dave Chappelle is addicted to corona testing people so much he violated my nose for 2 months."

The UFC just fired one of its top rising stars -- undefeated Ottman Azaitar -- after he allegedly committed one of the most INSANE safety violations we've ever heard.

Ottman -- who's 13-0 as a pro with some crazy highlight-reel knockouts -- allegedly stole a page out of a "Mission Impossible" movie to sneak an unapproved guest into the Fight Island area on Abu Dhabi, risking the health of EVERYONE there.

FYI, 30-year-old Ottman was scheduled to fight on the main card at "UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor" on Saturday night -- taking on 30-year-old Matt Frevola (8-1-1).

But, that fight was removed from the card on Friday due to a "health and safety violation."

So, what the hell happened?! Dana White explained to BT Sport ... and man, the allegation is bad.

"So [Ottman Azaitar] and his team cut off their wrist bands, gave 'em to somebody outside the bubble," White explained ... "I don't know how they even did it."

"That guy taped [the wristbands], showed up here [on Fight Island] with a bag, went into a room, shimmied across 4 balconies, went in [Ottman's] room, dropped the bag off, changed his clothes and then left."

WHAT?!!??!?!

Dana continues ...

"Now, when security tried to stop him, he wouldn't stop either way and yeah it's just bad."

Dana said he fired Ottman on the spot -- "He's gone. He's no longer a UFC fighter and he's not fighting [Saturday night]."

Wow.

The big question -- what was inside the mystery bag?!!?!? Our UFC sources say they have no clue at the moment. Guessing they're going to try and find out.

As we previously reported, the Fight Island area is incredibly secure -- with multiple COVID testing points and crazy security to keep everyone safe. One violation could compromise the entire thing.

Coronavirus be damned -- 22,000 people will get to sit and watch Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay next month ... with 7,500 of those scheduled to be vaccinated health care workers.

The NFL made the announcement Friday ... saying they consulted with officials and experts throughout the country to ensure they can keep that many people safe despite the pandemic.

The Shield also laid out the safety guidelines fans must follow if they do get a seat at Raymond James Stadium ... saying masks, social distancing and "podded seating" will all be requirements.

NFL officials also say there will be "touchless in-stadium experiences at concessions, restrooms, and security checkpoints" to further help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

As for the health care workers part of it all ... the NFL is doing some REALLY awesome things there -- giving out 7,500 free tickets for those who have put their lives on the line for others in the pandemic.

In fact, league commish Roger Goodell surprised a group of nurses and front line hospital workers with invitations on a crashed video call Friday that was seriously awesome.

"We owe them our ongoing gratitude," Goodell said. "We hope in a small way that this initiative will inspire our country and recognize these true American heroes."

The league says most of the health care workers who have been invited to the big Feb. 7 game will come from the Tampa and central Florida area.

FYI -- the NFL says it played host to more than 1.2 million fans at its 116 games this season.

Shout out to our pal, JT The Brick, for first suggesting the idea to gift Super Bowl tickets to health care workers.

Dave Chappelle tested positive for COVID-19 and has canceled a string of shows in Austin, TX ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the comedian tells us Dave is currently quarantined after the positive test, but he has not yet experienced any symptoms. Dave performed the first of 5 shows in Austin Wednesday night with others scheduled for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

We are told the remaining shows -- 2 of which included Joe Rogan -- have all been canceled and refunds will be offered.

Chappelle, Rogan, Elon Musk and Grimes were photographed together earlier this week at Stubb's Amphitheater ... where his shows were all scheduled.

Dave's been performing socially-distanced shows since June in his native Ohio, with rapid tests for the audience and regular tests for him and his crew.

The Tokyo Olympics will NOT need to be canceled -- at least not yet -- officials and organizers say the event is still set to go on despite a report indicating otherwise.

The Times of London reported on Thursday that the summer games, which had already been postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the pandemic, are in serious jeopardy of having the plug completely pulled.

In fact, according to the report, a source close to the situation said the reality of a cancellation is already being discussed among event organizers and officials.

"No one wants to be the first to say so but the consensus is that it's too difficult," the source said in the report. "Personally, I don't think it's going to happen."

But, Tokyo Olympics reps called BS on the report a short time after its publishing ... saying they have absolutely ZERO plans to cancel the event at this time.

"All our delivery partners including the national government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, the IOC and the IPC [International Paralympic Committee] are fully focused on hosting the games this summer," officials said in a statement.

"We hope that daily life can return to normal as soon as possible, and we will continue to make every effort to prepare for a safe and secure games."

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee echoed those sentminets in a statement of their own this week ... saying, "We have not received any information suggesting the Games will not happen as planned."

"And our focus remains on the health and preparedness of Team USA athletes ahead of the Games this summer."

Dr. Anthony Fauci held his breath for months with Donald Trump, but he's now fully exhaled and is having a hard time hiding his glee over the change in administrations.

The infectious disease guru made it clear at the White House coronavirus briefing Thursday ... SCIENCE RULES!!

The good doc made it clear ... there were times working with Trump when he felt uncomfortable -- fact is, you could see it all over his face. He was walking a tightrope because if he disagreed with 45 he could end up getting pink-slipped, which would have been bad for the country.

The best evidence of this, he said, is Trump touting hydroxychloroquine. He didn't want to squarely contradict Trump, because of Trump's temper ... he clearly feels comfortable giving Biden the straight take.

Fauci shaded Trump, by saying the mantra of the Biden Administration when it comes to coronavirus is simple ... "If you don't know the answer, don't guess. Just say you don't know the answer."

Dr. Fauci says getting back to facts and letting the science speak for itself in approaching the pandemic is a "liberating feeling."

Arnold Schwarzenegger just got the shot needed 'round the world -- and he was happy to play up some of his best Hollywood lines to make it all the more familiar.

Arnold posted video of himself Wednesday, which shows him pulling into Dodger Stadium to receive his vaccine for COVID. You see him sitting passenger-side in an SUV as a medical staffer sticks with a needle and injects the serum ... Arnold, of course, didn't flinch.

It's funny ... he dropped two famous movie lines of his during his vaccination -- a well-known one from "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and a more obscure one from "Jingle All the Way." If you're a die-hard Arnold fan, you know both off the top ... but it's unclear if his vaccine giver did.

He tells her to "put that needle down!" as she's injecting him, which is a reference to 'JATW' when he told his schmucky neighbor, Ted, to put the cookies down that he was salivating over. The woman doing the deed didn't seem to respond to it, though 😅

Then came the more iconic Arnold line in the aftermath ... "Come with me if you want to live," which is what the Model 101 Terminator told Sarah Connor in the legendary sequel.

That quote is probably more relevant, but in any case ... AS gives a ringing endorsement of the vaccine, and invites everyone who's eligible to come get one ASAP.

If you're thinking Joe Biden's Presidency is behind the 8 ball right off the bat thanks to the great divide in our nation ... buck up, there's reason for optimism, according to a guy who knows his stuff.

Dr. Allan Lichtman -- Professor of History at American University -- joined "TMZ Live" to share his take on what Biden's up against ... and spell out exactly what it's going to take for him to have a successful administration.

The prof. offers some great perspective here ... he came armed with loaded historical examples of past Presidents who took over during tumultuous times (does 2000 ring a bell?), but found a way to govern effectively and bring people together.

Dr. Lichtman thinks Biden can do the same if he takes a page out of a legendary POTUS playbook. Hint: It's not JFK or Biden's buddy, Barack.

Bottom line is ... Lichtman thinks both Democrats and Republicans have 2 major problems to solve right away -- the pandemic and the economy -- and everyone can benefit if they work together.

WWE hasn't had a live audience since March ... but that's about to change, 'cause Stephanie McMahon tells TMZ Sports WWE plans to have fans in attendance at WrestleMania 37!!

McMahon joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... where she announced WWE's gunning to have an audience at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa at WM on April 10 and 11.

“I’m thrilled and excited because, hopefully, this will be the first opportunity for us to have our fans back in attendance," McMahon says.

"That’s the current plan. Of course, ticket information is not available yet cause we’re still trying to figure out all the machinations.”

McMahon tells us WWE is keeping an eye on the Super Bowl (Feb. 7, also at RJS in Tampa) ... for tips on how to make sure the massive event goes off without a hitch.

"We're going to learn a lot from [the NFL] logistically, etc., and really best practices, what works, what doesn't work. But man, we can't wait to come in and for 2 nights, really rock that pirate ship."

FYI, it's been 316 days (March 9th's Monday Night Raw) since the wrestling organization had live fans in the building.

Still, plans can change ... and McMahon stressed WWE's top priority is the health of everyone involved.

"Working with the local organizing committee, all of the health officials, health and safety is first and foremost, of course," Stephanie says.

"For our fans, for our performers, for the employees, for the staff working the building, there's a lot of different logistics that need to determined, but hopefully, it'll all work out, and this will be the first WWE event where we actually bring the WWE Universe back together in person, and I cannot wait."

As far as the exact number of fans they plan to admit ... Stephanie says WWE has a plan, but isn't ready to reveal the figure at this time.

For comparison's sake, WWE had around 100K fans at WM 33 at AT&T Stadium in 2016 (WWE's going back to Texas for WM 38).

Obviously, the number will be way smaller this April. But, bottom line ... humans will be there!

There's more ... we also talked to Stephanie about Rob Gronkowski AND Tom Brady.

Gronk is the former 24/7 Champ -- and host of last year's Mania -- so we asked McMahon if a cameo from Rob and his G.O.A.T. QB teammate was in the cards.