Trinidad and Tobago’s Government Weigh In On Nicki Minaj’s Vaccine Tweets

Nicki Minaj has caught the attention of the Trinidad and Tobago Health Minister with her viral tweets telling the story of her cousin's friend's alleged impotency and testicular damage, which Nicki says is due to the COVID-19 vaccine.

"My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen," the Grammy-nominated rapper tweeted out Monday. "His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied."

https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/1437532566945341441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1437532566945341441%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeednews.com%2Farticle%2Fsalvadorhernandez%2Fnicki-minaj-cousin-friend-swollen-testicles-health

Dr. Terrence Deyalsingh, the Trinidad and Tobago health minister, responded to the rapper's tweet about her cousin's friend claiming it was a "waste of time" to even respond. "As we stand now, there is absolutely no reported such side effect or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad," the health minister said in a press conference Wednesday per Buzzfeed. "Unfortunately, we wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim."

He added, "As far as we know, at this point in time, there is absolutely no reported side effects or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad, or - dare I say - anywhere. None that we know of, anywhere in the world."

Recently Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President responded to the Pink Friday rapper's claims.

“I’m not blaming her for anything but she should be thinking twice about propagating information that really has no basis,” Fauci said to CNN’s Jake Tapper per the LA Times.

When asked if either of the three current vaccines approved and available to the U.S. public (Johnson & Johnson, Pzifer, Moderna) caused fertility issues in men or women, the medical advisor responded, "The answer to that, Jake, is a resounding no."

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta joined the conversation adding, "Vaccines causing swollen testicles, that’s not a thing."

Gupta also gave the Grammy-nominated rapper some tips on where she can begin her "research."

“Nicki Minaj says she wants to do her research — there’s plenty of research out there. The journal of the American Medical Assn. looked specifically at fertility issues and didn’t find fertility issues. I appreciate her wanting to do the research. It’s out there. I wish her cousin’s friend well, but that’s not related to the [COVID-19] vaccine.”

Watch the full press conference below, but the response to Minaj comes at about 39:40