Celebrity Health

When NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan began their missions more than 6 months ago, nobody had ever heard of COVID-19 -- now they're back, and a whole lot has changed.

The 2 astronauts -- along with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka -- just touched down back on Earth safe and sound. They landed in Kazakhstan in a Soyuz spacecraft at 1:16 AM ET.

The successful touchdown came after Meir spent 205 days living in space onboard the International Space Station, while Morgan did it for 272 days. It was the first mission for both of them.

Obviously, NASA's elated to get its bold travelers back home safely, but it's gotta be a bit strange and surreal for the astronauts. As soon as they returned they came face-to-face mask with the coronavirus pandemic.

As you can see ... all of the members of the recovery crew were wearing masks as a health precaution while carrying the astronauts and cosmonaut after they landed.

Plus, with all of the social distancing and stay-at-home orders across the globe, it's probably going to make it more difficult for Meir, Morgan and Skripochka to see all of their friends and loved ones in person again.

YNW Melly's request for jail release was denied, but not because his COVID-19 condition is improving ... we've learned the rapper is still feeling effects of the virus.

Sources familiar with Melly's situation behind bars tell us he continues to have labored breathing, body aches and headaches while in Broward County Jail, awaiting trial for double murder. We're told he still has a high temperature and chills, particularly at night -- and is getting Gatorade and Tylenol to ease the virus' effects.

While our sources say Melly's been isolated from his cellmate, who also tested positive, we're told jail staff is not checking on Melly every hour as they're supposed to be.

We broke the story ... the judge in Melly's case denied his request for release. He wanted to be able to get COVID-19 treatment on his own, but the judge said he must request special medical treatment from the Broward Sheriff's Office if needed.

It's unclear if he's done that. We reached out to Melly's attorney, Bradford Cohen, who declined to comment.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office wouldn't speak to Melly specifically, due to privacy laws, but did say ... if an inmate shows acute COVID-19 symptoms, they will be transferred to a hospital.

Translation: That's not YNW Melly at this point.

Pastor Tony Spell's lawyer has pneumonia in both lungs and is hooked up to oxygen after contracting COVID-19 ... TMZ has learned.

Jeff Wittenbrink tells TMZ he was admitted Tuesday to Baton Rouge Medical Center with the virus after his condition worsened over the weekend. In addition to pneumonia, he's battling a high fever and persistent cough.

Wittenbrink attended two services at Pastor Spell's Life Tabernacle Church ... on April 2 and April 5, which was Palm Sunday. He tells us he shook hands with the controversial pastor that day, but added Spell sanitized his hands immediately afterward. Wittenbrink says Spell does that after he shakes hands with everyone.

He also says he did NOT go to Easter Sunday service and his wife decided not to attend either ... given his condition. That being said, he doesn't think he contracted the virus while attending church.

Instead, Wittenbrink thinks he picked it up the previous week while doing his daily business and going to drug stores, grocery stores and hardware stores.

The Baton Rouge lawyer is repping Spell's Life Tabernacle Church in its fight to defy the state's stay-at-home order. All of this as Louisiana approaches nearly 2,000 hospitalizations due to the coronavirus.

As we first reported ... Spell said his parishioners are true Christians who wouldn't mind dying from the virus because they'd be doing so in the name of God and freedom.

Spell's church was packed on Easter Sunday ... and it seems nothing will stop him from continuing to do so. He's already been arrested once, and the police say they're working with the D.A. to build a case against him.

NFL superstar Von Miller -- one of the biggest stars in the league -- has tested positive for the coronavirus, his agent says.

Unclear when the 31-year-old Denver Broncos pass rusher was diagnosed but his agent Joby Branion tells NFL Network's Ian Rapoport he's "at home resting and in good spirits."

Miller -- the MVP of Super Bowl 50 -- is expected to speak publicly on Friday.

Miller's announcement comes one day after L.A. Rams center Brian Allen revealed that he was also diagnosed with COVID-19.

Allen said he became concerned once he lost his sense of smell and taste. He is also on the mend.

The NFL has made adjustments in the wake of the pandemic -- choosing to hold a virtual NFL Draft next weekend, where players, coaches and execs will all participate from home.

Miller's diagnosis, once again, proves even the healthiest people on Earth are vulnerable to COVID-19 ... after it already struck other top athletes including Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and others.

Miller is a stud on the field -- he's an 8-time NFL Pro Bowler, 3-time All-Pro and is currently in the middle of a 6-year, $114 million contract.

Ex-boxing champ Mia St. John says authorities in L.A. have repeatedly shut down her Alcoholic's Anonymous meetings due to COVID-19 ... but she claims it's now becoming a matter of life and death.

Besides being a 5-time world boxing champ, St. John has also struggled with substance abuse ... and now runs AA meetings in Los Angeles.

But, Mia says officials have told her to stop to the gatherings as a part of California's tough stance on coronavirus.

We spoke with St. John who says the situation is "absolutely ridiculous" because she's been following strict social distancing guidelines.

"We are abiding by the rules and regulations which is 6-feet apart. We're all wearing masks and I don't see a problem with it."

She adds, "It's interesting because in a grocery store, you're right on top of each other. People are much closer together, it's much more dangerous. So what we're doing is actually a lot safer."

Mia says AA meetings -- in person -- are "essential" ... saying face-to-face gatherings are simply more effective than virtual meetings one Zoom.

"I've spoken to so many people at these meetings that tell me they relapsed. I relapsed! I relapsed and I'm not blaming anyone but myself."

"I'm just here to say that people like me rely on our meeting to get us by. We rely on our sober friends to help us through and its a very difficult time I realize for everyone. If we're conducting our meetings safely, I don't see a problem with it."

NBA player Bismack Biyombo is stepping up in a BIG way for his home country ... donating $1 MILLION in supplies to help DR Congo fight the coronavirus.

"We have never experienced a crisis of this magnitude," the Charlotte Hornets forward said ... "Seeing my home country suffer in this capacity is devastating."

"I've spent the last few weeks trying to figure out a way to help those suffering in the DRC. I am pleased to announce that The Bismack Biyombo Foundation delivered over 10,000 masks and 780 hazmat suits to the DRC this week."

Altogether, the masks and suits are expected to add up to an impressive $1 million worth of supplies to help his countrymen battle the pandemic.

Biyombo's foundation points out the area has been riddled with deadly diseases for years -- from malaria to Ebola and more -- leaving the country in danger as it faces COVID-19.

TMZ Sports has obtained pictures and video of the supplies ... and the visuals show how far Biyombo's gesture will go for his country.

Biyombo hopes the gesture can slow down the virus from spreading so the country has a greater chance to fight

Dogs sporting medical-grade snout masks would have turned heads 2 months ago -- now it's becoming a common sight amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

These shots aren't just from pet-crazed USA ... the gallery shows dog owners all around the world -- countries in Asia, South and North America -- want to make sure their pets do NOT have a nose for COVID-19.

There is reason for some concern. As we reported, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have seen evidence of humans transmitting the virus to their pets -- cats and dogs.

So far, there have been 2 known cases of dogs testing positive ... both in Hong Kong. The masks on dogs couldn't hurt ... plus, most of 'em look kinda cute. Think Doggie Howser, M.D.

One of the most famous Philadelphia Eagles fans in team history has tested positive for the coronavirus ... and now he's fighting for his life.

Monty G -- AKA the "Babay Babay" hype man -- is well-known for his signature wing-flappin' Eagles hat ... and went viral in a local news report following a blowout loss to the Cowboys.

The famous Eagles backer is in desperate need of support now ... as family friends have reported Monty has been at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for the past 3 weeks.

According to a GoFundMe set up to help with medical bills, Monty was placed in an induced coma and required a tracheotomy surgery.

Monty is now out of the coma, but the fight continues ... and now Eagles fans are hoping to raise enough money to help him continue his fight.

So far ... the fundraiser has collected $3,300 and the number continues to rise.

There are serious, even deadly warning signs of a resurgence of coronavirus after we re-emerge from self-quarantine because there's been A LOT of activity on dating/sex apps.

There's an app, Sensor Tower, that gives insights into traffic on popular dating/sex apps, including, Tinder, Bumble and Grindr ... and millions and millions of people are, at the very least, looking for love, and at worst, hooking up with strangers.

A month ago, just before we all started settling into our hermetically-sealed lives, Tinder had weekly traffic of around 9.3 million users. It has since surged to 10.2 million ... mind you, when most of us are in quarantine. And, the users are definitely in the market for something, because on March 29 alone, Tinder users swiped 3 BILLION times.

Grindr's been heating up over the last two weeks as well, with more people flocking to the app than any time this year. Roughly a month ago Grindr had 1.29 weekly active users, but a month later that number swelled to 1.57 million users.

Bumble had 3.63 million users a month ago ... it swelled to 3.88 mil in the final week of March, and now it's stable at 3.67 million users.

App downloads are way up too, according to Sensor Tower data. Between Tinder, Grindr and Bumble, there were 2 million downloads in March alone -- either new accounts or people redownloading their account on other devices -- and downloads for this month are approaching 1 mil.

The upshot ... based on people we've spoken with in preparing this story, people on the apps -- some but not all -- are still hooking up, which is insane and unsafe and puts not only themselves but loved ones at risk of getting sick or dying from COVID-19.

What we're hearing from making a bunch of calls ... some people are using the apps to just get to know people during self-quarantine. So, the question ... what do you think's going to happen when we're out of self-quarantine and young people who have been living like shut-ins are suddenly unleashed in the dating pool, and they've connected with people on the various apps? In case it needs to be said, it's not sex with strangers in itself that dangerous ... it's the close contact that's a recipe for transmission of the virus.

Sam Clayton, Jr. -- who was a part of the famous '88 Jamaican bobsled team that inspired the movie "Cool Runnings" -- has died after battling COVID-19.

He was only 58.

Clayton was NOT in the sled that crashed at the 1988 Winter Olympics -- but he was a key member of the team.

In fact, teammate Devon Harris told local outlets in Jamaica, Clayton was an "integral part" of the team.

"I am saddened by the news of the passing of my teammate Samuel Clayton," Harris said.

"Although he never made the Olympic team Sammy was an integral part of the Jamaica bobsled team."

"He was among the very first four selected to spearhead Jamaica's entrance into winter sports and the Winter Olympics."

"He was an amazing human being who will be sadly missed.

After his athletic career ended, Clayton got heavy into music -- and later became the sound engineer for the U.K. band Steel Pulse.

In fact, it was Steel Pulse that confirmed his death to the NY Times -- saying Clayton died on March 31 in Kingston from coronavirus.

76ers partner Michael Rubin's dishing cold, hard facts about how he came up with the ingenious All In Challenge -- which already has Drake, Tom Brady, Meek Mill and so many more onboard.

Michael joined us on "TMZ Live" and talked about why he felt he needed to step up to help the millions suddenly in need during the coronavirus pandemic. When it came to figuring out HOW he could help, he says he remembered the phenomenon of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

That 2014 movement ended up raising a whopping $115 million during an 8-week period ... and Michael has equally high hopes for feeding hungry Americans.

Rather than relying solely on government assistance, Michael says he believes it's important for leaders in business, entertainment and sports to make a difference. Luckily, he falls in all 3 categories and called on his friends to join his effort.

They've responded in a big way for the All In Challenge. As we've reported ... Kevin Hart, Magic Johnson, and Justin Bieber are just a few of the MANY celebs who've embraced it.

Brady took things up another notch ... not only because he's donating his first-ever Bucs jersey, but also cause he challenged Drake. All the proceeds from the celeb auctions and raffles will go to help feed Americans affected by COVID-19.

Nuns in Spain are taking a break from the mundane, yet very essential, task of making sanitary masks ... with a full-court game of basketball!!!

At the convent of San Leandro in Sevilla, nuns have exchanged making their famous sweets for sewing much-needed masks, and when they need some time to get away and stretch their legs, they pick up a rock and shoot some hoops!

Ya gotta see the video ... these nuns know how to run and gun, or should we say, nun and gun. Seriously, the ball hardly touches the floor, you'd think they were coached by Paul Westhead.

It's kinda hard to tell which team is which, they're mostly wearing the same thing, but keep your eyes on the nun wearing white, she's dominating the paint like Pau Gasol.

Colin Kaepernick is stepping up to help those in desperate need during the coronavirus ... launching a relief fund for minorities, and pledging $100k of his own money.

"Black and brown communities are being disproportionately devastated by COVID-19 because of hundreds of years of structural racism," Kap said in a video Thursday.

"That's why we've established the Know Your Rights Camp COVID-19 Fund to help address these issues."

The KYRC says the money raised will go toward buying food from local restaurants to distribute throughout communities, help pay essential living costs for those who can't afford it and providing information on Black and Brown communities to keep everyone in the loop on the pandemic.

On top of that, the fund will help communities receive proper face protection to prevent spreading the virus ... and work with organizations to get prisoners out of jail and in a  safer environment.

Some New Yorkers are still risking coronavirus exposure by going places where social distancing is difficult, but the good news is ... there seems to be less of them.

TMZ got these shots of the Union Square farmers market Wednesday. Despite the state being at the apparent apex of COVID-19 cases and having strict stay-at-home and social-distancing orders in place ... it's still buzzing.

Several photos show people standing closer than the required 6-foot distance, and even more concerning ... some aren't wearing face coverings either.

To be fair, it's not required for New Yorkers to cover up until Friday, but it's being recommended by experts to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Los Angeles enacted its face-covering rule last week at all essential businesses, for which farmers markets are included.

On the bright side, the Union Square-area doesn't look nearly as packed as other farmers markets across the country have been in recent weeks ... or even as crowded as Central Park was a couple weekends ago.