COVID-19

SOURCE SPORTS: NBA Release a New Vaccine PSA with a Message from Karl-Anthony Towns

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The NBA released a new vaccine-related PSA featuring NBA All-Star and Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns ahead of NBA All-Star 2022. The PSA debuted during the Bucks’ game against the 76ers on February 17 and will continue to broadcast during All-Star weekend. Towns, whose mother died of COVID-19 in 2020, has a powerful message to share:

“Early in the COVID pandemic, many lives were lost and there wasn’t much we could do. Now, there’s effective vaccines and boosters. But some people choose not to take the shot. Some say they don’t know what the vaccine will do. But we all know what COVID has already done. Now we all have a choice to make. Let’s make a choice we can live with. For information on how to find a COVID-19 vaccine or booster near you, visit Vaccines.gov.” 

The NBA family is continuing to work with public health experts and groups to figure out how we can share public health messaging to inform the NBA family and the wider public about the vaccinations’ safety and efficacy.

As part of NBA All-Star, the Cavs have partnered with the NBA to support Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s citywide vaccination, booster, and health education efforts by offering incentives to those who receive a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot at vaccine sites throughout the city, including tickets to All-Star events and Cavaliers games, merchandise, special autographed items, and more. The league also donated 10,000 fast antigen tests and 110,000 face masks to the COVID-19 Taskforce for distribution to schools and community-based organizations, in addition to supporting 11 city-wide vaccination clinics and testing initiatives through additional vaccination venues.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: NBA Release a New Vaccine PSA with a Message from Karl-Anthony Towns appeared first on The Source.

2022 Coachella Festival Drops All COVID-19 Restrictions

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According to a report from CBS News, the 2022 Coachella Festival will not require concertgoers to present a negative test, vaccination status or wear a mask in order to attend the festival.

The Coachella Festival guidelines for the 2022 festival read, “In accordance with local guidelines, there will be no vaccination, testing or masking requirements at Coachella 2022, however, the event shall be presented in accordance with applicable public health conditions as of the date of the event and which may change at any time as determined by federal, state or local government agencies or instrumentalities, artists or the promoter; such requirements may include, without limitation, changes to capacity, attendance procedures and entry requirements, such as proof of vaccination and/or negative COVID-19 test, and other protective measures such as requiring attendees to wear face coverings.”

The weekend, which is scheduled for April 15-24, includes performances from Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Kanye West, and Swedish House Mafia.

The post 2022 Coachella Festival Drops All COVID-19 Restrictions appeared first on The Source.

Fugees Cancel Their Reunion Tour As COVID-19 Makes ‘Touring Conditions Difficult’

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Bad news, Fugees fans. While news of the New Jersey trio’s reunion tour was met with skepticism due to their longstanding history of inter-group friction, the news that they’ve officially canceled the tour — which they just announced today — still comes as a blow for those who were looking forward to finally seeing Lauryn, Pras, and Wyclef onstage together again for the first time in years.

“We anticipate and understand disappointment but our anniversary tour will not be able to happen,” the announcement reads. “The continued Covid pandemic has made touring conditions difficult, and we want to make sure we keep our fans and ourselves healthy and safe. An idea sparked to honor and celebrate this 25th anniversary of The Score but we see now it may not currently be our time for revisiting this past work. We’re grateful for the special night we got to share with some of you in New York with that rare live moment. If opportunity, public safety, and scheduling allow, we hope to be able to revisit this again sometime soon. THANK YOU for all your love and support throughout the years.”

While the news is certainly disappointing, at least their performance at Global Citizen’s September benefit show at Pier 17 was captured for posterity, giving us all something to watch as we dream of the time COVID-19 isn’t ruining our live entertainment plans.

Diddy Canceled His Annual New Year’s Eve Party Over COVID Concerns For The Second Time

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Almost as much as he’s known for his long string of hits or his outsized personality and antics as a businessman, Diddy is notorious for his lavish parties, including his over-the-top, all-white Memorial Day shindigs and his blowout New Year’s Eve celebrations each year. However, for the second year in a row, Diddy has canceled his New Year’s Eve party over COVID-19 concerns as the new Omicron variant of the virus — or “Omarion” variant, if you’re feeling cheeky — continues to spread.

According to TMZ, the Omicron surge in Miami, where the party was to be held, convinced Diddy that his 500-guest hootenanny would put him and his fellow stars in jeopardy. This would appear to be a wise move according to the advice of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci, who recommended on CNN to “stay away from that this year,” that being “a New Year’s Eve party, where you have 30, 40, 50 people celebrating, you do not know the status of the vaccination.”

Diddy isn’t the only one to cancel his planned NYE celebration. Four days ago, garage rock revivalists The Strokes announced the cancelation of their own New Year’s Eve concerts, although NBC’s planned special featuring Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson appears to be proceeding as scheduled. If you’re content with staying in but still fiending for something to do, you can check out TikTok’s own planned concert with Rico Nasty, Charlie Puth, and Kali Uchis from the comfort of whichever device you use to scroll the hours away.

Doja Cat Had To Cancel Some Jingle Ball Performances After Testing Positive For Covid-19

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Looks like Doja Cat will be spending at least some of her holiday in quarantine. Although she was slated to appear for some Jingle Ball performances during the annual iHeartRadio Christmas tour this December, the rapper-pop-star had to disappoint fans when she tested positive for coronavirus. Doja has been performing behind her new album, Planet Her at various award shows this year, like the VMAs, but has yet to announce a full tour. Probably a good thing considering she now has to cancel some slated appearances.

“As most of you probably heard earlier, a few members on my production team tested positive for Covid-19 and I had to cancel a couple of my upcoming performances as a safety precaution,” she wrote on Twitter. “Unfortunately, I’m sad to share that I just tested positive as well and will no longer be able to perform on the rest of the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour. While my spirits are down since I can’t be there to celebrate the holiday with my fans in Philly, DC, Atlanta and Miami, I’m doing ok and look forward to recovering and getting back out there as soon as I can! The rest of the tour stops have some really great lineups, wish I could be there. Much love xo.”

Get well soon Doja! And everyone else, please remember to wear masks and social distance, we’re not out of the woods yet.

The New Variant Of COVID Has Been Redubbed The ‘Omarion Variant’ By Cheeky Fans

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R&B fans might have been surprised to wake up to find singer Omarion’s name trending on Twitter this morning, as he hasn’t announced a new album and isn’t the type to get himself into the sort of legal trouble that usually prompts widespread discussion of a legacy artist. Instead, curious Twitter users would have found that there’s a new variant of COVID-19 roaming the streets, after “Black Twitter” noticed the similarities between “omicron” and “Omarion” and have apparently decided the latter is not only much catchier but also riper for making memes.

And so, we’ve gotten a slew of clips from Omarion’s 2005 “Touch” video with cheeky captions like, “Not the Omarion variant and the booster having a lil tussle” and “The Omarion Variant chasing me down like.” There are also other jokey captions roasting the singer’s recent performance in Chicago that has apparently gone (ahem) viral on TikTok, with one user quipping, “They say in order to keep the Omarion Variant away, you have to do this routine 3 times in the mirror.”

Of course, in the face of a scary new mutation of the COVID-19 virus, using a little humor to lighten the mood serves an important purpose even as it highlights the need for these scientists to come up with better names for things (I’m no Greek expert, but it seems like they skipped a bunch of letters between delta and omicron, no?). Still, though, get your vaccine, if you’re vaccinated, get your booster, and continue to practice safety measures like distancing and wearing a mask in public — we’re not out of the woods yet. Check out more “Omarion variant” jokes below.

Wale Recalls Having COVID-19 And Its Lasting Effect On His Health

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While some rappers have taken to posting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and spoken out against mask mandates over the past several months, others have been taking the COVID-19 pandemic more seriously… especially those who’ve actually felt the virus’ effects. During his recent visit to The Breakfast Club in New York, DC rapper Wale detailed his own scary experience with the virus — and its lasting effects on his health, even after he was sufficiently recovered to go home from the hospital.

“That sh*t feel like you don’t got no control over nothing,” he recalled. “I remember when I was in denial, I was like, ‘Yeah, I got COVID but I’m just gonna stay in the house’ and then it’s getting worse. I remember taking an Uber to the hospital ’cause I ain’t want to be dramatic. I’m like, ‘I can’t breathe’… I remember they was taking my blood, and the lady couldn’t find my veins and all this other stuff. I just remember I passed out from just that alone. I was like ‘Wow, I was really just like, regular, three days ago,’ and I realized how serious it is.”

After he recovered, he said, he had to “beg them n****s to let me go home” because the isolation began to get to him. “Just being in there dolo, nobody can come in,” he explained. He also addressed the aftermath, saying, “One thing that people don’t talk enough about COVID is the after-effects. The main thing with me is the COVID fog. That sh*t is real … It feels like you smoked too much. For me, because I have legitimate issues with anxiety and stuff, everything was heightened.”

You can watch Wale’s full interview with The Breakfast Club above.