Celebrity Health

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.

A police officer gunned his SUV into a crowd in Tacoma, Washington Saturday night, running over at least one person ... and it was all caught on video.

There were about 100 people in a street blocking an intersection ... some were in cars doing donuts and allegedly street racing. Cops were called to the scene.

The crowd surrounded one of the police SUV's and began pounding on the windows and kicking the sides of the vehicle. The PD said in a statement the officer feared for his safety ... "the officer drove forward striking one individual and may have impacted others" as he tried to get out of the "unsafe position."

As the officer guns it, you see the SUV run over someone laying in the street. Someone who watched screamed, "Oh my God, oh my God."

At least one person was taken to the hospital. That person's condition is unknown.

Dustin Diamond's cancer diagnosis has been hard for him to deal with emotionally ... and it has him questioning how this happened to him.

The "Saved by the Bell" star's rep tells TMZ ... Dustin's struggling to come to terms with having the type of lung cancer he has -- stage 4 small cell carcinoma -- because it's normally caused by smoking, and he's never been a smoker.

So, we're told Dustin can't help but wonder if his cancer is the result of his frequent work travel over the past 20 years.

The rep says Dustin's worked all over the country on film sets and at comedy clubs for meet-and-greets ... and sometimes had to stay in pretty questionable hotels and motels, because there were no other options.

We're told Dustin believes some of these spots might have had mold or asbestos ... which he could have breathed in, causing his cancer.

As we reported ... Dustin just completed his first round of chemo at a Florida hospital, and will start physical therapy soon while he awaits the second round of treatment.

We're told his doctors have not determined what caused his cancer, but as we reported ... he does have a history of it in his family. His mother died of breast cancer.

Even Chiefs fans are gonna love this!!!

Here's Buffalo Bills superfan Victor Neilson celebrating his victory over cancer in the most Bills way possible ... BY SMASHING THROUGH A TABLE!!!

BILLS MAFIA 4 LIFE, BABY!!!

42-year-old Nelson (who works in restaurant food supply) had just wrapped up 5 months of "intense chemotherapy" for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. Nelson tells us he had a "baseball-size mass against my aorta."

So, after ringing the famous victory bell, Nelson took his celebration to another level!

Nelson strapped on his Bills helmet, his Tremaine Edmunds jersey and a pair of Zubaz pants -- and took out a folding table LIKE A CHAMPION!!

"Through all the prayers and support, I have prevailed," Nelson posted after the table-smashing.

I am" officially cancer-free. Thanks to all for the prayers and support. Couldn’t have done it without you. GO BILLS, BEAT THEM CHIEFS!!"

Check out all of the nurses, doctors and other staff on hand to help Vic celebrate -- it's awesome!

Nelson says he hopes the video will inspire others who are fighting cancer -- and now he's raising money for Vanderbilt Oncology in Nashville via his GoFundMe page.

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."

Great news for Chiefs Kingdom ... Patrick Mahomes says he's been CLEARED to play in Sunday's AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills.

"Yeah I'm actually ... just got out of the protocol," Patrick told reporters on Friday.

"The week has just been a bunch of testing, a bunch of different things just to make sure that I'm good to go and there's no lingering effects or anything like that. But everything's been good, I went through what 3, or 4 different doctors have said. Everything's looked well and I'm out of it now."

Of course, Mahomes was knocked out of last week's playoff game against the Cleveland Browns following a shot to the head. He's been in the NFL's concussion protocol ever since.

Mahomes was replaced by veteran Chad Henne, who played pretty well filling in for Patrick against the Browns ... and the big question -- would Henne get the start against Buffalo?

But, Mahomes just addressed reporters on Friday afternoon and confirmed out of concussion protocol ... which means HE'S BAAAAAACK!!

Kansas City was a 3 point favorite going into the match up -- but now that Mahomes is cleared to return, it's possible the spread could widen even further.

As for the Buffalo Bills, led by QB Josh Allen, they've been preparing this week as if Mahomes would play.

If Tom Brady is going to beat Aaron Rodgers, he's gonna have to do it without Antonio Brown.

The Tampa Bay Bucs confirmed the superstar WR is OUT for Sunday's NFC Championship game against the Packers in Green Bay.

The 32-year-old has been nursing a knee injury he suffered in the 1st half of last week's playoff game against the New Orleans Saints.

AB barely played in the 2nd half of that game -- and sat out of practice on Thursday. In other words, it was a long shot he was going to play anyway.

Now, Tom will have to rely on his other weapons -- which include Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, Scotty Miller, Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones and more.

Yeah, TB12 has a ton of weapons -- but worth noting Brown was Tom's top target in the final 5 games of the regular season.

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."

Dustin Diamond has completed his first round of chemo after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer ... according to his team.

The "Saved by the Bell" star is still in the hospital and is doing everything he can to deal with his diagnosis ... which his team tells TMZ is stage 4 small cell carcinoma.

This is commonly referred to as advanced lung cancer, but in Dustin's case ... we're told the cancer started elsewhere in his body and metastasized in his lungs. His next round of chemo is being scheduled soon.

His team says he will also begin physical therapy, and adds that Dustin is keeping a positive outlook and is looking forward to spending more time with his girlfriend. We're told he's also enjoying playing his bass guitar (learning songs by Tool and Foo Fighters) and video games ... and making videos for his fans on social media.

We broke the story ... Diamond, best known for playing Screech on the hit '90s sitcom, was hospitalized earlier this month in Florida after feeling pain all over his body and a general sense of unease.

From the get-go, there was concern he had cancer due to his family history, and sadly ... that concern became a scary reality.

Dustin's team says he's been receiving a bunch of fan mail wishing him well, and will be getting it to him at the hospital to lift his spirits soon.

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.