Nicki Minaj’s Vaccine Claims Debunked by Trinidad Health Minister
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Reading Time: 3 minutes
This year, Nicki Minaj skipped the Met Gala due to her concerns with traveling. Minaj is also not yet vaccinated against Covid-19, which was a requirement to attend the event. The artist took to Twitter to inform fans that she will remain unvaccinated until she’s done more research. The former American Idol judge was quickly labeled an anti-vaxxer on social media. She defended her decision by revealing that a friend of a relative in Trinidad experienced adverse effects of the vaccine. After intense investigation, the Health Minister of Trinidad and Tobago debunked claims reported by Minaj.
“My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding,” Minaj Tweeted. “So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied.”
Trinidad Health Minister Shoots Down Vaccine Claims by Nicki Minaj in Press Conference
The statement by Minaj sent government health officials into a lengthy investigation to verify her claims. It took more than a day to confirm or debunk the story told by the rapper. Ultimately, Health Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Terrence Deyalsingh, shot down Minaj’s narrative surrounding the vaccine in a press conference.
“One of the reasons we could not respond yesterday in real time to miss Minaj is that we had to check and make sure that what she was claiming was either true or false,” Deyalsingh said during a press conference on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, we wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim.”
Deyalsingh also went on to tell reporters that he found it “sad” that Trinidad and Tobago health officials “wasted time” on Tuesday investigating the claims made by Minaj. This in turn sparked a mockery on social media and prompted widespread criticism from media and public health officials. The Health Minister also enforced how serious such claims are taken, whether it be on social media or mainstream media.
“As we stand now, there is absolutely no reported such side effects or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad … none that we know of anywhere else in the world,” Deyalsingh confirmed in the press conference.
During This Time, Minaj Contracted COVID-19
In the time surrounding the vaccine controversy, Minaj also revealed that she recently contacted Covid-19 herself. While preparing for this year’s MTV VMAs, the rapper discovered she was positive for the virus. During that time she reported being away from her child for over a week.
Her recent illness is most likely a large contributor to why Minaj opted out of attending the Met Gala as well. Because of her previous sickness, there is a strong possibility that she is eligible to receive the vaccine anyway. This, in combination with her concern for testicular issues explains her status in the research period.
Overall, Minaj’s claims regarding even prompted a response from Chief White House medical adviser, Anthony Fauci.
“She should be thinking twice about propagating information that really has no basis except a one-off anecdote, and that’s not what science is all about,” Fauci said.
