As the number of coronavirus-related deaths in the United States continues to rise, the debate over whether or not to wear a mask still stands. People in Europe and the United States are having a difficult time getting their hands on surgical masks due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Last month, health officials said not to buy them and were worried about the limited supply of masks for doctors and nurses. US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams took to Twitter in February to share his thoughts on the virus and the influx of mask purchases. “Seriously people,” he begins, “STOP BUYING MASKS!” The tweet goes on to say, “They are NOT effective in preventing the general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!” However, scientists now say Americans may want to wear one, according to a report in Science Magazine. People all across Asia have been wearing them for several months. The head of the Chinese Center for Disease and Prevention, George Gao, supported the fact that people were buying masks. “This virus is transmitted by droplets and close contact. Droplets play a very important role [and] you’ve got to wear a mask, because when you speak, there are always droplets coming out of your mouth,” Gao said. He went on to explain that face masks can prevent droplets that carry the virus from infecting other people. KK Cheng, a public health expert at the University of Birmingham, reflected on the same issue. I don’t want to frighten you, but when people speak and breathe and sing [and] you don’t have to sneeze or cough, [but] these droplets are coming out,” he said. As for these masks slowing the spread of the virus, researchers think they can help prevent people from contracting the coronavirus. Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong, said if a person was wearing a mask that people would have some protection against infection. LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM AppFollow RADIO.COMFacebook | Twitter | Instagram

The Mighty Ducks roster from the Disney film series is arguably the greatest hockey team ever assembled. Like the 1980 Miracle on Ice team that upset the Russian ice hockey machine, they individually are not the most talented but together they are something special, repeatedly pulling off upset after upset. In 1992's Mighty Ducks, a ragtag squad that couldn't skate pulled it together to close the door on the Hawks 19-year championship run. In D2, The USA Ducks upset Iceland for the Gold in the Junior Goodwill Games (with Iceland and the Junior Goodwill Games representing knock offs of Russia and the Olympics, respectively). In D3, the Ducks shut down a roster with likely future NHLers as they represented the plucky Eden Hall junior varsity team taking on one of the top high school varsity hockey programs in the USA. Could these movie Ducks beat the professional hockey franchise that was spawned in their honor? Using EA Sports NHL 20 Creation Mode, RADIO.COM Sports Simulations created the movie Mighty Ducks with the skills and attributes each character demonstrated on screen. Adam Banks is the uber-talent, Charlie Conway is the heart, and Julie "The Cat" Gaffney is the equalizer in goal. Dwayne Robertson is a puck-handling freak, and figure skaters Tammy Duncan and Kenny Wu are the most graceful players on the ice. Fulton Reed can hit and shoot, but his aim and skating are terrible. Luis Mendoza is the fastest skater but he lacks control. Averman is the agitating chirper who managed to appear in all three movies despite not being great at hockey. All the Ducks have the passing fundamentals instilled from coach Gordon Bombay with his infamous egg passing drill. Coach Ted Orion from D3 turned the Ducks into a defensive powerhouse. And after surviving so many pressure-cooker situations, the Ducks have developed the poise to play big in the game's biggest moments. Will the talent of Banks, Conway, and Gaffney combined with great teamwork and defensive skills beat a team of Anaheim Duck NHL All Stars? We created the team and let EA sports simulate the game to find out. The Anaheim Ducks got on the board first with a Petr Sykora powerplay goal at 12:56 of the opening frame. But then it was all District 5. Adam Banks dished a sweet pass off the rush to Guy Germaine whose shot was denied by J.S Giguere but Germaine's girlfriend, Connie Moreau, buried the rebound at 16:18. Early in the second, Fulton Reed had a rare blast find the net as his powerplay goal at 1:19 put movie Ducks up by 2. Conway and Banks had the helpers. A little over 2-minutes later, Scott Niedermayer caught Kenny Wu with his head down on a shot follow through and all hell broke loose. 14 minutes in penalties were distributed including Dean Portman's and Chris Pronger's fighting majors.Wu did not return to the game. Banks all but put the game away at 8:45 of the second with a nasty snipe over Giguere's catcher with assists from Russ Tyler and Charlie Conway. Anaheim pressed but Julie Gaffney stood on her head as Anaheim outshot District 5 23 to 20. Luis Mendoza's empty netter at 19:43 of the third provided extra insurance. Tammy Duncan and Fulton Reed picked up the assists Anaheim Mighty Duck legends Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne did not take their cinematic namesakes seriously as they were held pointless and were a collective -3 on the night. Perhaps they would be difference makers in a rematch? District 5 was led offensively by Adam Banks (1 g, 2 a) and Charlie Conway (0g, 2a). What teams -- real or fictional -- do you want to see simulated next time on RADIO.COM Sports simulations?

Miami has reported its first coronavirus-related death. According to NBC, Israel Carreras died in the hospital on Friday after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. The 40-year-old is believed to have caught the virus while attending the Winter Party Festival in Miami Beach between the dates of March 4 and the 10. His partner, Franco Conquista, said one of the first symptoms was a fever and “then very quickly he was having problems with breathing.” “Everybody loves him. His personality just shined”, says boyfriend of Israel Carreras. Israel, who was 40 years old, is the first person in Miami-Dade to die due to complications from COVID-19. I’ll share his story tonight at 4, 6, and 7 on @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/IgLieqmW4b— Jamie Guirola (@jamieNBC6) March 27, 2020It led to a horrible cough that made breathing so difficult for Carreras that he had to use sign language to communicate. “He could not breathe, and then they put tubes in his nose and his mouth," Conquista recalled, adding, “he couldn't even get the tubes out to eat. Because he couldn't breathe.” With the virus being highly contagious, Conquista was not able to spend time with Carreras in person. He said the virus is like “somebody sucks the will of wanting to live out of you.” He described Carreras as healthy with no underlying issues aside from possible high blood pressure. His advice to others, "Just stay home. Don’t just think of yourself. Don’t just think because you’re not affected directly this is not happening. It is happening. People are suffering, people are dying." While many of Miami’s events like Ultra Music Festival and Calle Ocho Festival were canceled immediately, the beach party still attracted thousands of attendees. So far, nine attendees have also tested positive for COVID-19. The U.S is now leading in coronavirus cases surpassing both China and Italy, two areas heavily affected. New York remains the nation’s epicenter with more than 44,000 cases, however, Florida is seeing an increasing number of cases that has led some experts to fear it will become the new hotspot very soon. NBC reported that as of late Friday, cases in Miami-Dade County surged to over 760 with the state nearing 3,000. Daily Mail added that the high number of elderly residents and the influx of tourists makes Florida particularly vulnerable. Up until recently, many spring breakers ignored the dire warnings and flocked to the beaches anyway. Shortly after Carreras’ death, the Miami Herald reported a second coronavirus death of a 79-year-old man who was not yet identified.

One of basketball’s most popular media figures, Doris Burke, officially tested positive for coronavirus. However, she decided to keep quiet about it at the time and is now doing well after what she called a “rough” couple of weeks. Burke, who has been working within NBA media for years and called games as an analyst on ESPN throughout the 2019-20 season, shared her story dealing with coronavirus on the Woj Pod on Friday afternoon. She started experiencing symptoms on March 11, though she details that they weren’t the usual signs shared by the CDC for most COVID-19 patients. March 11 was the same day that Rudy Gobert officially tested positive and put the NBA and entire sports world on hold. Sitting at lunch with her broadcast team that day, Burke shared that she “looked at [her] colleagues and producers and said ‘I am so tired right now and my head is pounding’.” Mentioning that she had heard so much about the typical symptoms, like shortness of breath, fever and chest tightness, she realized that the fatigue and headaches were definitely her primary symptoms. “I took naps that day, and I felt better,” Burke said. “I went about the normal business of trying to prep for the game. “Thursday morning, en route to the airport, I had another headache. I had been so tired on that Wednesday that I looked at Ryan Ruocco and said ‘you know, I think I should fly back… to Los Angeles and rest for a couple of days’.” Her original itinerary had her flying out east before returning to Los Angeles for a Lakers game on Sunday and a Clippers game on Monday. “By the time Saturday the 14th hit, I was so tired that if I tried to get out of bed… I kid you not, I could not be out of bed for five minutes before needing to go back to bed and lay down,” Burke said. “I was thinking… I don’t have any of the normal symptoms but I thought to myself it seems to me I should probably get tested.” With the concern and support of her family, Burke went on to get tested. Calling the medical staff at a city hospital in Philadelphia “professional” and “efficient”, Burke was tested for the flu, coronavirus and received additional precautionary tests like an EKG and an x-ray. She had a mild fever, but it never exceed 100 degrees. Instead of taking the normal three to five days to receive results, it took eight days for Burke to get her results back, as she received her positive test on Wednesday the 25th. By that point, she had been feeling much better and had spent two weeks in her own bedroom while her daughter cooked the meals and brought her food. “I just am incredibly thankful to the professionals at this hospital,” Burke said. “I’m so incredibly thankful to be feeling well to be honest with you. We’re going to continue to social distance. “I am out of my room -- thank god. It’s nice to be in shared common space even if I’m six feet away from both people in my home.” There has been a recent wave of formerly diagnosed athletes and sports figures getting cleared by doctors, including the Jazz’s Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell and Saints head coach Sean Payton. While this trend is hopefully one that continues, the consistent development of new cases is still a major cause of concern throughout the world that goes way beyond just sports. LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM AppFollow RADIO.COM SportsTwitter | Facebook I Instagram