Celebrity Health

The run on toilet paper and wet wipes has nothing on seriously hard alcohol -- 'cause people fearing a full coronavirus outbreak are snatching up booze to cook up their own sanitizer.

Everclear, the potent 190-proof grain alcohol college kiddos traditionally use for Jell-O shots, is in crazy demand now that enterprising DIYers know it's one of few alcohols potent enough to kill nasty bugs like COVID-19.

The craze for the specialty booze is coast-to-coast. The good folks at Seattle's Downtown Spirits tell us they're fresh outta Everclear. A clerk says customers aren't hiding their intentions -- "They're buying it for the sanitizer." The price tag's a mere $20, but he told us it wasn't a commodity until this week.

We're told they sold 40 bottles in 2 days -- more than twice what they normally sell.

Ditto for Broadway Spirits in Manhattan's posh TriBeCa 'hood where they've had customers calling in to make sure Everclear's still in stock. A clerk there told us it's about to go on backorder.

As you know, brand-name germ killers like gels and wet wipes are vanishing from stores -- and the homemade craze started when the World Health Organization released a few recipes to help out newbie chefs.

They suggest folks pull isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and glycerin (if you have it) from cupboards and start whisking to attempt a homemade Purell, if you will. Everclear would come in handy if you're short on isopropyl A.

The Center for Disease Control prefers washing hands. But if soap and water aren’t “readily available” the agency suggests using a hand sanitizer containing “60% alcohol.” Grain alcohol to the rescue!!!

Buyers should carefully read the label because some spirits don’t pack enough punch. Tito’s Handmade Vodka admitted on social media it "does not meet the current recommendation of the CDC."

The time has come amid a growing global pandemic to talk about something we've all been expecting, but haven't quite seen 'til now ... a bloodbath over wiping our asses.

Yes, we're referring to toilet paper, folks -- specifically, the fact people seem to have lost their minds about stocking up on a 6-pack, 12-pack, 24-pack or in many cases ... 30-packs from Costco. You've probably been seeing photos online, but now ... there's gnarly video too.

Here's a clip someone captured from what's been said to be somewhere in Australia, where two women literally came to blows in a grocery store aisle over a pack of poop wipes. It's pretty insane -- there's screaming, punching, scratching and then face-to-face insults.

Eventually, the store employees step in and break it up ... but not before the woman who was apparently left ply-less demanded (begged?) for just one pack of toilet paper from the mother-daughter duo who swept the place and filled their own cart with several loads.

There've been other in-aisle confrontations caught on video, but none got as rowdy as this one. It appears people in different parts of the world are panicking over the coronavirus -- and it would seem having an arsenal of perforated protection is absolutely essential.

LeBron James says he'll be parking it if the NBA bans fans from the games amid growing fears of the coronavirus -- which might become a reality sooner than later.

LBJ said it clear as day to reporters in the locker room Friday night after his and the Lakers' thunderous win over the Milwaukee Bucks in L.A. -- explaining it quite plainly like this, "We play games without the fans? Nah, it's impossible. He added, "I ain't playing!"

His comments come after a reported league memo was sent around to all teams Friday, which told them to prepare for the possibility of having fan-less games in the near future because of the rapidly growing pandemic, which has already spread to several states in the U.S.

The King went on to say he plays the game for the fans specifically, and says if they're not in the building ... he doesn't see a point in stepping out on the court. It sounds like he might be joking, but also ... he very well might not be. It'd be an interesting situation for sure.

Fact is ... the playoffs are happening soon, and the Lakers just clinched a spot for the first time since 2013. And with LeBron at the helm -- and after missing last year's playoffs -- folks would absolutely tune in now ... on TV, we suppose, and not in person if this comes to pass.

Not only that, but Bron is KILLING it this year ... he's in the running for regular-season MVP, so if he just cut all that short and said screw it -- things could potentially turn ugly.

LeBron is one of those guys with enough clout and influence that he could potentially get away with something like that, but our gut's telling us Adam Silver wouldn't let it slide without putting up a fight and lobbying the superstar for the sake of precious ratings.

Jamie Foxx isn't about to let a little thing like the coronavirus stop him from interacting with his loyal fans ... that said, he's also NOT not going to wash up after touching 'em.

The renaissance man was at the Sunset Room in Hollywood for entertainment promoter and entrepreneur Dave Brown's 50th birthday party, where Jamie was standing next to the man of the hour when his and Kanye's song "Gold Digger" came blaring through the speakers.

Of course, Jamie got on the mic for a bit -- but celeb publicist Domenick Nati caught the funniest thing on video right afterward ... JF's apparent germophobia in full flex.

Watch ... Jamie seems to reach out to someone right below him in the front row and grabs a hold of them for a sec. They stay touching for a moment before Jamie pulls back and almost immediately turns to his buddy right next to him for a favor -- a safety sterile-squirt.

Jamie's pal had a mini bottle of hand sanitizer on him -- a rare commodity these days -- and hooked his homie up with a little dab. Jamie spread it around all over ... up, down and around town.

Post Malone squarely addressed fans who worried he was in a pharmaceutical tailspin ... saying he's clean as a whistle -- never better.

Post performed Friday night at the FedExForum in Memphis and told the crowd he was not using ... no way, no how. In fact, he said he's never felt better.

Fans got super-worried earlier this week after he appeared to fall on stage during a concert and then writhed around on the floor. Post explained last night ... that's not someone who's high -- it's someone who is trying to give his fans an awesome performance and nothing more.

Justin Bieber's tour is the latest live act to feel the effects of the coronavirus ... he's downgrading the venue size in several "secondary markets" and it's all because of the virus.

Bieber's got a massive stadium tour planned for the summer to promote his hugely successful 'Changes' album. Friday they announced stadium stops in Cleveland, Detroit, Arlington, Columbus and Nashville were canceled and moved to local arenas ... essentially cutting seat capacity in half.

Turns out just 3 days after Justin announced his tour ... coronavirus fears really blossomed. We're told prior to the news, ticket sales were hugely successful but then slowed in smaller markets.

Sources close to Justin say his team made the decision to relocate several tour stops to guarantee they could fill seats instead of performing to a half-empty stadium. We're told it's possible he could do multiple shows at one arena.

Justin isn't the only artist to feel the effects of coronavirus, Miami's Ultra Music Festival and SXSW in Austin, Texas were both canceled earlier this week.

Daymond John isn't one of the smartest business people around for nothin' ... 'cause he's already figured out how we can make the best of a bad situation and actually benefit.

Seriously ... at first it seems like heresy, talking about the upside of the virus, but he really makes compelling points. Think about how our economy can benefit from more domestic manufacturing, how people will save time commuting if they end up working from home, how people might eat healthier at home than if they were going out to restaurants every night.

Well, Daymond's not scared yet about going to restaurants, because we got him at the famed Dan Tana's Steakhouse on the Sunset Strip.

Danny Trejo is seriously worried for inmates in Los Angeles County jail ... he says coronavirus could spread like wildfire if officials don't do enough to disinfect the filthy place.

We got the actor -- who spent years in various prisons back in the day -- at LAX Friday and asked about inmates fearing the worst in jail. Danny says jail is a potential coronavirus hot zone.

Danny says everyone is fighting coronavirus together, but it's worse for people in jail, because of the extremely close quarters and dirty conditions.

As Danny explains it, when the flu hits a jail or prison, everyone catches it, and coronavirus could hit even harder. He says the inmates in jail have it the worst, because they can't isolate themselves like someone in prison.

As we reported ... guys getting sprung from L.A. County Men's Jail say authorities are not telling them about coronavirus or how to prevent it, and they dispute official's accounts that sanitation efforts are being ramped up.

Aside from the filthy jail cells and holding areas, Danny says another danger facing inmates are handshakes. He explains why it's disrespectful not to dap up other inmates, and why it poses a coronavirus nightmare.

When life gives you fears over coronavirus ... make some hand sanitizer and sell it at your lemonade stand!!!

Check out these funny pics of two young entrepreneurs in Texas ... the kids are putting a twist on the classic suburban lemonade stand by hawking bottles of hand sanitizer for $3 a pop.

These smart salespeople are cashing in on the hand sanitizer craze ... as you know, people are stocking up on the stuff over fears of catching coronavirus, and stores across the country are selling out ... and they're taking extra precautions by including their Venmo. Money is dirty!

This lemonade hand sanitizer stand is right outside Austin ... makes sense, the city just declared a local disaster and the upcoming SXSW music festival is canceled.

Gotta hand it to these kids, they're making the most of a bad situation ... looks like the country is in great hands!!!

Coronavirus could explode in the nation's jails as inmates are squeezed in like sardines in filth.

TMZ has contacted various jails, including L.A. County Men's Jail as well as jails in San Francisco and New York. They all say they are wiping down surfaces at least daily and ramping up sanitation efforts.

Tell that to Jose Abalos, who just got out of L.A. County Men's Jail for "regular carjacking." He says he was placed in a cell that had not been cleaned from the previous inmate and it was disgusting ... it smelled like urine. He left Friday morning with a cough and wheezing. He says the jail gave him meds but he's worried and is going to a doctor.

Abalos also said no one from the jail told the inmates anything about coronavirus or how to prevent it.

Another inmate, Arturo, also was released from L.A. County Men's Jail Friday morning, and he says there was blood and fecal matter on the walls and says the place was dirty and disgusting. He says he had one shower in 20 days.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's showing us his completely empty fitness expo venue -- shut down due to coronavirus fears, and it's a pretty eerie scene.

Arnold joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday from inside the massive 750,000-square-foot convention space in Columbus, OH. It was supposed to be packed right now with a quarter of a million people for the country's biggest health and fitness expo ... before coronavirus, that is.

As you can see in the video, it's a ghost town because Ohio shut it down out of health concerns. Arnold gave us a quick tour -- no displays, no booths, just emptiness.

As we reported ... the Arnold Sports Festival coincides with the expo, and it's going on as planned nearby even though the government closed it to spectators.

Arnold says he still doesn't understand why the sporting portion -- which draws no more than 4,000 fans to a single event -- is not allowed to host spectators when bigger sporting events in Ohio are still business as usual.

Ultimately, Arnold says health is more important than money ... but it's still crazy to see how coronavirus is disrupting things.

Dr. Oz is moving on from his crusade against breakfast to urge people to quit another customary activity in everyday life -- shaking hands.

The TV doc tells TMZ ... coronavirus fears are warranted because it's proving to be 5 times more contagious than the seasonal flu, but there are immediate steps everyone can take to help limit its spread. First and foremost ... cancel handshakes.

Dr. Oz points out that COVID-19 has elements which make it very difficult to control -- something he alluded to in January -- but by replacing a handshake with a fist bump, there's 10 times less bacteria transferred ... so that's a good start.

He even offers a fun way to do the friendly exchange, compliments of Rev. Run. You gotta check it out.