Celebrity Health

"Saved by the Barn" star Dan McKernan says just dipping your toe into a plant-based diet could help reduce viral pandemics ... and, of course, spare more of the animals he rescues.

Dan was on "TMZ Live" Tuesday when he made a pitch for the vegan lifestyle, and the positive impact it can have on the planet. He's not militant about it, and instead suggests you start slowly -- a method he says worked for his 63-year-old "stubborn farmer" dad.

He also believes reducing animal consumption will reduce the number of pandemics caused by viruses jumping from animals to humans -- a la the coronavirus.

Dan's main focus, though, is on saving animals across the country and raising them on his Michigan farm. He's had a lot of success ... documented on his new show.

So far, he's saved over 100 animals -- none cuter than his pal, KJ the goat!!! Watch our video with him, we think you'll agree ... and catch the premiere of "Saved By The Barn" Saturday at 10PM on Animal Planet.

When Nike was handed the opportunity to get involved in the country's fight against coronavirus, there was only one way to respond -- just do it.

The Swoosh announced its factories are pivoting to make full-face shields and powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) lenses to help healthcare workers in need.

Nike explained it's repurposing collar-padding from shoes, cords from apparel, like bags, and the plastic used to make the brand's signature Air soles to make the face shields.

... and we gotta admit, they look kinda cool, too.

“The full-face shields help protect healthcare workers’ faces and also help to prolong the length we can safely use a surgical or N95 mask," said Dr. Miko Enomoto, associate professor at the Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine.

"Nike’s generous response to the COVID-19 crisis helps to instill an added layer of confidence and support for healthcare workers, that we can safely carry out the jobs we were born to do.”

As we previously reported ... New Balance also got into the mask-making production last week -- with hopes of making 100,000 a week.

Twitter's CEO just beat every other big shot's donation to coronavirus relief by tenfold -- he's dropping ten figures to help, and then rolling whatever's leftover to another great cause.

Jack Dorsey made the stunning announcement Tuesday on his own platform, saying he'd be putting up a billion dollars of his own money -- which he says makes up 28% of his overall wealth -- into a new fund he calls Start Small, LLC ... aimed for COVID-19 efforts.

He adds ... after beating the pandemic, the money that's still there in Start Small will begin being used for something else he's just as passionate about ... girls' health and education, as well as UBI (universal basic income). He's even got a public Google doc to track the money that's available to look at right now. Sure enough, it's valued at just under $1 billion.

Jack also gets into details about how the money will be doled out ... we'll let you read his thread for yourself -- but in short, sounds like he's going the grants route.

Not to get too shark-y here, but the donation -- which is an incredible thing, BTW -- is a major power move on Jack's part, and a little on Twitter's too. Up until now, it appears Jeff Bezos held the record for the biggest COVID-19-related donation at a staggering $100 mil.

Jack's billion blows that out of the water, obviously ... but it's not like these donations are a contest or anything, right? It's also telling that JD is going so public with a gesture like this after a little in-house drama over there at Twitter-land. Recently, some board members were reportedly out to oust him as chief ... but he prevailed in the end and is staying put.

In any case, Jack's cash will be a massive boon to the cause, and hopefully, help us end the pandemic for good before it's starts getting even more out of hand.

Thanks, Jack ... chirp on, brother.

A Baltimore police officer reacted to jeers at a housing complex by loudly coughing at residents without covering his mouth, and it's triggered an investigation.

The video shows the cop walking through the Perkins Homes complex in East Baltimore. Sounded like a few people were giving him crap when he seemed to purposefully cough right at the woman recording him.

She immediately fired back with a bunch of verbal cracks as the cop walked away. Baltimore PD spokeswoman Lindsey Eldridge says, "We have viewed the video, in its entirety, and believe it warranted being forwarded to the Public Integrity Bureau for an internal investigation."

TMZ's confirmed with police the officer, who's a sergeant, is still on active duty right now. It's unclear if he's been tested for coronavirus.

As disturbing as the cop's action was ... the woman recording shouted back some pretty ignorant info herself. For instance, she said ... "I ain't worried about that s**t. Y'all get that s**t, black people don't."

Not only is a total misconception ... there are recent reports indicating COVID-19 is having a more negative impact on the Black community.

Dr. Phil has a few home remedies for pandemic-related stress building up in your body under quarantine -- they're simple and not all that time consuming.

Phil says the first thing ya gotta do is acknowledge life is pretty messed up and stressful right now -- then, make a daily conscious effort to deal with it.

The good news from the good doc -- who joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" -- is you just need a very basic exercise -- 10 seconds of tensing up, 10 seconds of relaxation. Watch the vid, Phil does a tutorial.

He also recommends breathing in for 3 seconds and exhaling for 6 to release tension and relieve physical stress.

Seems almost too simple, but Phil told us the mental stress that comes from self-isolation is a very real, and potentially debilitating, thing -- so take time to relax and breathe.

Oh, and when your mind starts racing ... make sure you're thinking about the right kinda stuff. Phil's got a checklist to keep you on the right path.

Colton Underwood looks like a walking clean bill of health after being stricken by coronavirus -- and the first thing on his checklist was a jaunt with his boo.

The ex-'Bachelor' hit the road Monday for a walk with his girlfriend, Cassie Randolph, and her sis, Michelle. The good-looking trio took a stroll down the coast near Huntington Beach, CA ... and Colton's looking good as new, compared to a few weeks ago.

You'll recall ... shortly after he disclosed he'd caught the 'rona -- Colton was looking pretty ill and down in the dumps.

Now he's looking much better and feeling that way, too. He says, "I have made a full recovery from the coronavirus and we managed to keep the entire family healthy as well."

Colton added, on IG ... "I am now working with medical professionals to figure out the best way to support their efforts against the coronavirus."

He also thanked Cass and her fam for caring for him while he was sick.

Anyway, Colton has another reason to celebrate right now -- his new book, "The First Time," is coming out.

NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns' mother, Jackie, remains in the ICU and continues to fight her battle with coronavirus ... this according to KAT's old college coach, John Calipari.

The Minnesota Timberwolves center revealed his mother's health status 2 weeks ago ... saying his mom had been placed in a medically induced coma due to complications from  COVID-19.

“Her lungs were getting worse, her cough was getting worse. She was deteriorating," KAT said at the time.

Cal provided the first update on Jackie Monday afternoon saying she continues to receive treatment at the hospital.

“I would say to everybody out there ... Ms. Jackie, Karl Towns’ mother, is still in that hospital. She's fighting, she's there," Calipari said Monday.

“We get updates, every single day we get an update from Karl Sr. about how she’s doing from the nurses at the ICU.”

Cal has one request for everyone ... to keep praying and send positive thoughts towards KAT's family.

Kenya officials have just imposed a country-wide ban on golf ... closing down all courses over fears the play could further the spread of coronavirus.

Health Cabinet Secretary, Mutahi Kagwe, made the announcement Tuesday, chastising golfers for not properly following social distancing guidelines during the global pandemic.

"It is not a secret that even in golf clubs, golf clubs have also been abused," Kagwe said. "Consequently, all golf clubs must be closed with immediate effect."

Kenya reportedly only has 172 confirmed cases of COVID-19 ... but it's clearly taking every precaution to make sure that number stays low.

Of course, other major areas of the United States have followed similar paths when it comes to golf ... with even Los Angeles banning the sport as well.

However, states like Florida and Arizona are still allowing golfers to hit tee boxes ... pissing off some residents who fear the courses could become coronavirus hot spots.

Chris Cuomo is getting up close and personal about his battle with COVID-19 -- and the reason he's so intimate is because he wants folks to know they can fight and win.

The CNN anchor is still working and aired his x-ray Monday night during his show ... and Dr. Sanjay Gupta joined him to evaluate the state of Chris' lungs. Gupta says there's definite signs of inflammatory fluid build-up ... a tell-tale sign of coronavirus.

Chris passionately explained how he's doing everything he can at home to avoid going to the hospital and adding one more patient to an already-flooded and overworked healthcare system in crisis at the moment. Sounds like what he's doing -- on his doctor's advice -- might well be working.

He told viewers he's constantly moving -- getting up, laying on his side, stretching, talking, whatever -- to keep the virus on its toes, 'cause he says it's banking on people becoming sedentary and passive as it sets up shop in the body ... particularly in the chest.

The notorious Los Angeles smog is nowhere insight, and the city's enjoying its longest stretch of good air quality in at least 40 years -- but of course, the reason for that sucks.

The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdown of most commerce and travel across the country has totally changed everyone's way of life, but according to the March 2020 air quality index compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency ... L.A.'s air is reaping massive benefits.

The chart shows Angelenos experienced the cleanest air recorded last month since at least 1995, but the EPA's data actually goes back to 1980 ... and there hasn't been a longer span of "good" air days since then either.

Cody Hill, a California energy company exec, estimates it goes back even further, saying March 2020 may well have been “one of the best months at least since the 1940s, when there was huge migration as we ramped up aircraft production in the L.A. basin to fight WW2."

Of course, the main reason for the improved air quality is the lack of traffic emissions that normally get pumped into the air during morning and evening rush hours ... back in the pre-COVID-19 days. Now that a major chunk of L.A. residents are hunkered down at home and off the roads, there's way less pollution ... and no more smog.

In fact, on March 18 after the state put safer-at-home orders in place, L.A.’s infamous rush-hour traffic was moving 71 percent faster than it usually does on a Wednesday afternoon ... and that trend's expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

So, the EPA's air quality numbers for L.A. in April should be off the charts. Like we said ... a true Hollywood silver lining.

Doc Antle, former mentor to Joe Exotic, says his animals in Myrtle Beach are safe from the coronavirus, and they've been that way since long before a Bronx Zoo tiger tested positive ... and Carole Baskin's confident her Big Cat Rescue felines are fine too.

Doc, who, of course, was one of the 3 stars of 'Tiger King,' tells TMZ ... his Myrtle Beach Safari is a much different setup from that of the Bronx Zoo. He says he and his 25 employees all live onsite, making for a much more controlled and self-isolated environment.

He says he put his facility on lockdown immediately after the government released guidelines to stay at home and practice social distancing. Doc says his staff has been under strict quarantine since then. No visitors or physical contact with outside groups allowed.

While we humans have had "wash your hands" drilled into our heads ... Doc says his big cats are also bathed and cleaned regularly. He adds, specific caretakers are assigned to the animals, and that doesn't change ... thereby limiting potential exposure to the coronavirus.

If one of his big kitties somehow contracts COVID-19, Doc says it will be treated like a person and placed in self-isolation for 14 days to keep it from spreading it to other animals. Still, he says there's a very low chance of that.

Joe's nemesis, Carole Baskin is equally confident about the well-being of the animals at her tiger rescue outside of Tampa. Folks down there tell us they're monitoring the animals closely and none have shown any symptoms.

There's a federal prison preparing for mass coronavirus casualties ... at least according to an inmate who risked posting video from his cell to expose how the virus is wreaking havoc on in the inside.

The inmate never identifies himself, but said he was using a contraband burner phone to go on social media ... just feet away from his cellmate who he claims has COVID-19 and is struggling to breathe.

He says inmates in the unnamed prison are getting infected by dozens, and some have already died -- he claims to have witnessed guards taking victims out on stretchers, and that the prison had a tent set up to line up the bodies.

The inmate was wearing a mask, and so was his cellmate who allegedly has COVID-19 ... and definitely seems to be very ill. The cellmate told him not to call guards for help because they won't do a damn thing.

The guy with the phone says he's set to get out in a year, but he was still willing to risk going live and showing his face because the situation was too dire not to expose it. As for where he was -- he makes a reference to the feds and to Cuomo ... so, he could be at a federal prison in NY state.

Then again, he could be talking about Chris Cuomo, because he also referenced CNN.

The guy knows his current events though, because he mentions "compassionate release" ... when judges sign off on early releases for prisoners who are non-violent, aging, or in an at-risk group.

Remember, that's how Tekashi 6ix9ine got out early.

The coronavirus pandemic could wreak havoc in a frightening new way, because your house pets could be at risk of coming down with COVID-19.

An expert at the National Institute of Health tells TMZ ... while people might be worried about catching the coronavirus from their pets, it's actually the other way around, and the potential for humans to infect animals is being way overlooked.

It's pretty alarming ... we're told cats and ferrets are most likely to be infected with COVID-19 from humans. For dog owners, we're told preliminary studies show canines are less likely to contract the virus. However, as we reported, 2 dogs in Hong Kong did test positive.

While data is limited on the effects of COVID-19 on animals ... we're told scientists are drawing conclusions from past viruses. Data from the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic shows humans infected a wide range of animals including dogs, cats, tigers and cheetahs.

In all cases of swine flu in animals, scientists say it appeared the critters were infected by direct transmission of the virus from humans in the same household. So, a similar conclusion is being drawn with the coronavirus.

We're told it's hard to know whether COVID-19 would be fatal in pets -- however, one glimmer of hope ... influenza is generally not lethal.

Before you panic, the NIH expert we spoke to is NOT advising you get rid of your pets -- but instead said owners showing coronavirus symptoms should avoid their pets.

If you insist on being with your pet, or have a service animal, we're told owners should wear a mask. Same goes for zoo or lab employees around animals. Remember, a Bronx Zoo tiger just tested positive, and officials believe the virus was passed from a handler.

Important to note the CDC has said there's no evidence Fido or Fluffly can transmit the virus to humans.

MLB officials are targeting a May return to the diamond ... reportedly in talks about playing the entire 2020 season with its players, coaches and personnel in isolation in Arizona.

The league suspended the start of its season last month in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 ... but ESPN's Jeff Passan reports that ban could end in as little as a few weeks.

The plan, Passan says, is to have the league essentially set up shop in the Phoenix area, and play all of its games at Chase Field and other Cactus League spring training sites.

The games would be fan-less ... and under the plan's idea, all MLB personnel -- including players -- would be forced to live in isolation, only leaving homes to go to and from games.

The plan -- which was reportedly talked about by MLB and MLBPA officials over the weekend -- would require STRICT adhesion to rules by all ... but it's believed the prospects of a steady paycheck and a return to normalcy would spur cooperation.

Some of the other key points of the potential return -- the league could go to an electronic strike zone to keep umps away from batters and catchers ... while dugouts would move to empty stands where players and coaches could sit 6 feet apart from each other.

The CDC and federals are allegedly on board the league's idea ... which also would require rapid coronavirus testing of players to ensure no outbreaks.

The plan would cost MLB BILLIONS in ticket sales ... although league officials reportedly believe a new TV deal to broadcast the Arizona games could help make up some of that cash flow.