Source: JIM WATSON / Getty
Nicki Minaj once again sent the internet in a frenzy over her political views after tweeting that she declined to go to the 2021 Met Gala due to the vaccine requirement.
As previously reported, earlier this week the “Seeing Green” rapper shared some thoughts regarding the COVID-19 vaccine before tweeting a wild claim regarding her cousin’s friend’s testicles.
“My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent,” Minaj Twetted. “His testicles became swollen. 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.”
The tweet prompted an onslaught of feedback over the misinformation including responses from Joy-Ann Reid, Meghan McCain, and the White House--and now Dr. Anthony Fauci is debunking Minaj’s claim citing that there is “no resounding evidence” that the vaccines cause reproductive issues.
In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor debunked her claim before adding that misinformation regarding vaccines is spread mostly on social media.
“There’s no evidence that it happens, nor is there any mechanistic reason to imagine that it would happen. So the answer to your question is ‘no,” Fauci said, “The only way we know to counter mis- and disinformation is to provide a lot of correct information and to essentially debunk these kinds of claims, which may be innocent on her part,” Fauci said. “I’m not blaming her for anything. But she should be thinking twice about propagating information that really has no basis except [as] a one-off anecdote. And that’s not what science is all about.”
In addition to Dr. Fauci’s response, Trinidad and Tobago’s Health Minister, Dr. Terrence Deyalingh also debunked the “Yikes” rapper’s claim citing that the “misinforming” tweet was not only wrong but “wasted their time” as they tracked down the claim.
“Unfortunately, we wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim,” Deyalsingh said in a video shared on Twitter. “As we stand now, there is absolutely no reported such side effect or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad or, I dare say … anywhere else in the world.”
