Coronavirus

"Ah, like O.J. Simpson!"

That's how Boris Johnson chose to describe his struggle with a pair of latex gloves at a COVID vaccination site Wednesday ... and the British Prime Minister is now taking all sorts of heat for the quip.

The 56-year-old was out in Wales checking in on and helping out a Cwmbran vaccine center ... when he was handed a pair of mitts that were clearly just a little too small for his paws.

As Boris struggled to get covering over all five of his fingers ... he giggled, and then blurted out the O.J. joke.

People at the site laughed awkwardly at the comment ... with one of the workers adding, "Absolutely!"

The reference, though, now has Johnson in a bit of hot water ... with many wondering if a joke with roots in a murder trial is really the right move to make, particularly at COVID vaccine site.

"Johnson is the prime minister of the UK," one Twitter user wrote. "Is it too much to expect that he behaves with some dignity? Johnson's 'joke' is in severely bad taste."

Some on social media did find the humor behind the comment, however.

Still, Johnson has yet to address the remark since making it.

COVID is still messing with Jayson Tatum's lungs -- weeks after he was cleared to return to the NBA the Celtics star admits he's still having trouble breathing normally during games.

The 22-year-old Boston Celtics star tested positive for coronavirus on Jan. 9 -- but recovered quickly and was back on the court on Jan. 25 ... when he dropped 24 on the Chicago Bulls.

For the most part, he's looked great since the COVID leave -- but Tatum admits he's still not 100%

"I have experienced some games where, I don’t want to say struggling to breathe, but you get fatigued a lot quicker than normal," Tatum told the Boston Globe.

"Just running up and down the court a few times, it’s easier to get out of breath or tired a lot faster."

Tatum says his breathing has "gotten better" over time, but it's still an issue.

"It’s just certain stretches where breathing is a little out of whack," Tatum explained ... "and I talk to the medical staff and coaching staff about it."

As far as Tatum's stats ... his numbers have dipped since he returned to action, but nothing to panic about.

The Globe points out his shooting percentage from the field has dropped from 47.4% to 42.7% ... and his 3-point shooting is also down -- 43.8% to 36.9%.

"I guess it’s just a long process [to fully recover]," Tatum said.

Mardi Gras is a muted scene in 2021 due to coronavirus cancellations of almost all the festivities New Orleans is famous for this time of year ... and it's an eerie sight.

Bars are closed, Bourbon Street's blocked off, there are no parades ... and revelers loaded with beads and booze are not packing the streets to celebrate Fat Tuesday.

Compared to what went down in 2020 -- right before the COVID-19 pandemic really hit the fan -- it's pretty incredible, and a little depressing.

However, after the city announced it would be shutting down Mardi Gras events because of the pandemic, a silver lining emerged ... a house floats movement.

According to reports ... roughly 3,000 house floats have sprung up in the greater NOLA area in tribute to all the absent parades, and they're pretty awesome. They're calling it Yardi Gras!

Moneybagg Yo said he's made a bundle during the pandemic and that he didn't want it to end -- something he immediately regretted and took back.

The Memphis rapper issued a mea culpa Monday after a pair of cringe-worthy tweets about the coronavirus -- and how it had affected him (and his net worth) as well as others (in his eyes, anyway). All the tweets still seem to be live on his profile.

At first, he wrote ... "Not gone lie I made a couple Ms in da pandemic, ion want it to end Smiling face with open mouth and cold sweatHundred points symbolMan shrugging."

Moneybagg followed up by saying he thought the pandemic had helped a lot of people, but didn't really elaborate on how. Either way, it was a terrible take ... for which he apologized.

After catching backlash, Moneybagg wrote, "I apologize to everybody I offended my comment was very insensitive it was not my intent to hurt anyone." Seems he got the message that ... yeah, the pandemic actually hasn't been great for a lot of folks, despite his good fortune.

And yes, MY has had a relatively good year -- he dropped an album last January (pre-pandemic) which charted well on the Billboard 200 ... and then dropped a new single, "Said Sum," this past November, which has also found its way onto the charts with staying power.

Dr. Fauci has a million new reasons to smile, 'cause the guy just came up on a boatload of cash for sticking to the facts and the science during the pandemic.

The director of the NIAID was just awarded a million-dollar cash prize from the Dan David Foundation -- an Israeli nonprofit that funds and advocates for breakthroughs in science and technology. He's one of three recipients to get a cool mil ... all for "defending science."

There are past, present and future categories for the winners, and DF got etched in as the man of the present in the field of public health ... due to his work speaking on behalf of vaccines -- plus, everything else he's done on the pandemic front, in 2020 and beyond.

The Dan David Foundation said Fauci's storied legacy in HIV and AIDS research was also considered in granting him the award.

It's interesting ... although the org didn't mention Trump by name, they certainly alluded to him in their remarks -- saying, in part, they were giving this to Tony for "courageously defending science in the face of uninformed opposition during the challenging COVID crisis."

You'll recall ... Fauci recently said it was "liberating" to be able to speak truthfully and freely about how best to fight the virus, without a de facto muzzle on him from the very top.

Michael Jordan is donating $10 MILLION to open 2 new health clinics near his hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina ... specifically to help people in need.

The NBA legend is working with Novant Health -- a non-profit health care group with hospitals and medical centers throughout NC.

Novant says MJ's donation will bring "comprehensive primary care, including behavioral health and social support services, to the area’s most vulnerable communities."

The 2 clinics funded by Jordan's donation are scheduled to open in early 2022 -- and both centers will offer "much-needed services to those who are uninsured or underinsured."

Jordan -- who previously donated $7 mil to open 2 centers in 2017 -- says he's extremely proud to "bring better access to critical medical services in my hometown."

"Everyone should have access to quality health care, no matter where they live, or whether or not they have insurance. Wilmington holds a special place in my heart and it’s truly gratifying to be able to give back to the community that supported me throughout my life."

Novant says the 2 clinics MJ opened in 2017 have already seen more than 4,500 patients, in addition to providing critical COVID-19 response.

The locations have also administered close to 1,000 COVID-19 vaccine shots -- "with plans to scale up vaccination efforts even further as supply increases."

Valentine's Day is usually rush hour at Las Vegas wedding chapels, but a bunch of Elvis pastors WILL be lonesome this weekend ... due to the pandemic.

According to the Graceland Wedding Chapel ... it conducted a whopping 75 ceremonies on V-Day 2020 -- just weeks before COVID-19 changed the world -- but it only has 50 on the books so far for 2021.

The famous chapel tells TMZ ... roughly half its business typically comes from international guests, but with coronavirus travel restrictions that number's a big, fat zero this year.

Graceland says it hopes to get 60 wedding ceremonies booked before Sunday, but that's still a significant decline of at least 20 percent.

A rep for Chapel of the Flowers tells us their wedding ceremony bookings are also down 20 percent this year compared to last ... but it's even worse at a couple other spots.

Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel says it's down 50 percent for V-Day, and like Graceland ... the lack of international couples is crushing its bottom line. As of now, it says it only has 17 wedding reservations for Sunday ... which is incredibly low.

The owner of Bliss Wedding Chapel, which just opened in October, tells us he's been banking on a Valentine's Day surge for some much-needed cash ... but it's not happening.

He says he's been in the biz for a while and would expect a solid 50 ceremonies under normal conditions ... but COVID's limited bookings to just 26, so far.

One thing the chapels cited for their struggles is having to operate at half-capacity. Like the Bliss owner put it -- weddings are the opposite of social distancing, so couples who would be forced to cut the guest list are simply opting to wait or go elsewhere.

Avril Lavigne and Mod Sun have a big day in store Sunday ... Valentine's Day, because they made it clear Friday night -- they're a couple.

They hit up BOA Steakhouse in WeHo for Mod Sun's album release party for "Internet Killed the Rock Star." It's his 4th album and Avril's featured in one of the songs -- "Flames."

They were hand-in-hand as they had their temps checked at the door, before walking in. Two things seem clear -- they're a couple, and they both take COVID super seriously. Both Avril and Mod Sun are masked up and, as they hop in their SUV after dinner, they immediately hit the hand sanitizer pump.

Before leaving, Mod Sun drops $100 on roses ... a little pre-Valentine's Day celebration.

It's interesting ... a dude in an "Internet Killed the Rock Star" shirt is filming, so maybe Avril and Mod Sun are going to the next level ... a reality show?!??

No more fans at the Australian Open ... at least for the next week.

With the number of COVID cases in the Australian state of Victoria rising to 19 -- officials decided it was best to go back into a state-wide lockdown.

Officials declared the state would return to Stage 4 restrictions on Friday -- which means Victoria will effectively be in a state of lockdown for at least 5 days in the hopes of stopping a possible spread of the virus.

As soon as the announcement was made, tournament officials began asking fans to leave the tennis courts, ASAP.

Roughly 6 million people live in Victoria -- and now they will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential activities like shopping for food, work, medical treatment, etc.

The Australian Open tournament director, Craig Tiley, said the event will continue ... but in a bubble environment where fans will not be allowed to attend until the restrictions have been lifted.

"Play will continue, the players will compete in a bubble not dissimilar to what they've been doing for the last year," Tiley said.

"Those that will be allowed on site will be players and direct support teams, as well as staff members unable to do their work from home. ... Those essential to the delivery of the event will be on site."

Top players from all over the world had flown to Australia for the tourney -- including Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Rafael Nadal and more.

In fact, Serena had praised the country for its handling of COVID and gushed about how nice it was to play in front of crowds again.

The Toronto Raptors better get comfortable in their new homes ... 'cause the team is officially finishing the 2021 season in Tampa due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Of course, that wasn't the original plan -- the team agreed to play the start of the season in Florida amid the coronavirus pandemic ... as Canada officials didn't want teams flying in from the U.S. and possibly spreading the virus.

At the time of the decision, there was hope things would clear up enough for the Raps to return to the 6 for the latter part of the 2021 campaign ... but that dream officially ended Thursday, with the team announcing they will play at Amalie Arena for the remainder of the season.

Team president Masai Ujiri released a statement on the decision ... saying, "Florida has been really welcoming to us and we’re so grateful for the hospitality we’ve found in Tampa and at Amalie – we’re living in a city of champions, and we intend to carry on the tradition of winning for our new friends and fans here."

"But home is where the heart is, and our hearts are in Toronto. We think often of our fans, of our Scotiabank Arena family, and all those we are missing back home, and we can’t wait until we can all be together again."

When is The King jealous of The GOAT??

Today, it seems ... 'cause LeBron James just said he was SUPER ENVIOUS of the epic championship celebration Tom Brady just had in Tampa Bay!!!

Just minutes after the Buccaneers star was captured on video seemingly drunkenly stumbling away from his SEVENTH Super Bowl title parade ... Bron tweeted about his FOMO.

"Man o man," LeBron said. "I wish we were able to have our parade too cause I would have been walking beautifully just like you!"

Of course, LBJ and the Lakers weren't able to have a Los Angeles celebration after their NBA title in October ... California's strict COVID guidelines prevented a party from going down.

Bron had been angling to try to make some sort of safe celebration happen ... but with the 2021 season already underway, it seems it may never go down at this point.

Clearly, LeBron is sad about that ... and can you blame him?! LOOK AT ALL THE FUN BRADY HAD AT HIS TITLE CELLY!!!

By the way, Brady poked some fun at himself over his boozy day ... jokingly writing of it all, "Noting to see her...just litTle avoCado tequila."

Tom Brady is such a VIP in the Tampa area, he gets a police escort on land and on water!!!

The Tampa Bay Bucs QB just arrived to the official Super Bowl boat parade which will take place on the Hillsborough River -- where players, coaches and staff will float around the Davis Islands before ending up at Sparkman Wharf.

Event organizers felt this was the safest way to celebrate the team since we're still in the middle of the COVID pandemic.

Boaters are allowed in the water but they must stay at least 50 feet from the vessels containing Bucs players and staff.

Tom is out in the brand new boat we told you about back in December -- it's a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art 40-foot vessel with all the bells and whistles.

It's named "Viva a Vida" -- which seems to be inspired by his wife Gisele's environmental conservation initiative.

By the way, Brady's teammates are showing big love to the QB who helped get them their championship ... with dudes wearing shirts that feature Tom's old draft picture on them!!

Head coach Bruce Arians, meanwhile, is already on the water holding the Lombardi Trophy. Other players are expected to arrive shortly.

story developing ...

Kim Kardashian sent a flowery token of appreciation to hospital staff who've been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic for nearly a year now.

Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... Kim had a photoshoot earlier this week for an upcoming project, with an abundance of gorgeous flowers on a set designed by celeb florist Jeff Leatham.

Instead of just tossing the flowers out after the shoot was over, we're told they whipped up dozens of bouquets and delivered them to frontline workers at the USC Verdugo Hills Hospital ... along with a thank-you note.

Hospital CEO Keith Hobbs presented the early Valentine's Day gifts to his staff, including RN Catherine Pradt and several others.

Colin Cowherd was hospitalized Saturday night for what turned out to be a blood clot in his lung -- after a terrifying medical emergency at a restaurant.

The 57-year-old host of FS1's "The Herd" -- one of the biggest stars in sports talk -- says he was having dinner with his wife near his home in Southern California when he felt a sharp pain on the right side of his chest.

So, Cowherd phoned a friend who raced over, picked him up and sped Colin to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.

Cowherd says he was in "incredible pain" and was understandably scared -- thinking he may have come down with COVID.

Doctors told Colin he tested NEGATIVE for coronavirus twice during his hospital stay -- but noted they found a small blood clot in his right lung.

The clot was limiting Cowherd's breathing so doctors admitted him to a room and used morphine to control the pain.

"I was pretty much knocked out with morphine, a narcotic, for 16 to 18 hours," Cowherd said.

Now, doctors are trying to figure out WHY Cowherd suffered the clot.

"I'm waiting for the blood work," Colin said ... "I have no idea why it happened. I have been doing a lot of skiing at high altitudes, traveling, that could be it. We don't know. We’ll find out in a few days."

Cowherd says he's already feeling better -- noting he went on a 30-minute walk on Tuesday ... "which is amazing considering where I was 48 hours ago."

Cowherd says the goal is to return to his show as soon as possible -- but the focus is on his recovery ... and he shouted out FS1 and iHeartRadio for being incredibly supportive during this scary time.

The North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team is apologizing for forcing the school to postpone a game after players were caught partying without COVID masks.

Here's the deal ... a bunch of UNC players celebrated Saturday night after beating Duke in a 91 to 87 victory -- and video of the after-party was posted on Snapchat, showing at least 2 star players turning up without masks on.

Obviously, we're still in the middle of a pandemic -- and large, maskless gatherings are strictly prohibited by the team.

The UNC vs. Duke rivalry is one of the most celebrated in all of sports -- and after UNC won this year, students flooded the streets of Chapel Hill to turn up.

UNC's next opponent -- the Miami Hurricanes -- saw the video and clearly felt uncomfortable sending the team out against a bunch of possibly exposed Tar Heels players They were supposed to play on Monday.

The ACC claims both teams mutually agreed to postpone the game because of the incident -- and now, the Tar Heels players are falling on the sword.

"Saturday night, a number of players and managers -- not just the ones shown on the video that was seen -- got together to celebrate our win at Duke," the team said in a statement.

"Our intention was to celebrate privately within our group. Unfortunately, we allowed several friends who are not members of the team to join the gathering. We were inside and not wearing masks, which were mistakes."

Among the players spotted in the video ... Armando Bacot and Day’Ron Sharp -- two of the team's best players, who combined for 27 points against Duke.

"We apologize for not adhering to the University's and Athletic Department's guidelines and apologize to Coach Williams and his staff ... We have worked too hard for 8 months doing the right thing to make those kinds of mistakes at this point in the season."

For his part, head coach Roy Williams says he "appreciated" the apology -- adding, "they realize they did make a mistake, for which they are paying a very significant price."

COVID vaccines are not making their way to underserved neighborhoods and it seems no one has figured out how to make that happen ... no one except Dr. Jerry Abraham.

Dr. Abraham runs the Kedren Community Health Center in South L.A., whose population is heavily black and brown. The County overlooked the Health Center in the vaccine distribution, but Dr. Abraham pounded on doors until he got their attention ... and the vaccines came.

The next hurdle was figuring out how to get South L.A. residents to the Health Center ... a tall order, given that many had no Internet to make appointments and no transportation. Dr. Abraham got all hands on deck and he and his staff went out to the community and helped people make appointments and then made sure they had a way of getting to the Center.

He's also put his psychologist hat on ... explaining to residents why the vaccine was so essential.

The upshot ... he's created a model that can become a shining light of equity in the distribution of vaccines.

One other thing ... he's also made it a party, with music and dancing to make sure people don't get frustrated and scared and bail.