By Sue-Ann Wayow
HEALTH Minister Terrence Deyalsingh is now starring in international news alongside rap superstar Trinidad-born Nicki Minaj after dismissing her Covid-19 vaccine claims.
Several prominent news agency including the BBC, People Magazine and the Daily Beast ran stories with Deyalsingh’s refuting statements that Minaj’s made on Twitter that some-one from Trinidad had testicular problems after taking a Covid-19 vaccine.
The statement most of the international news agency made prominent in their articles was: “We unfortunately wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim,” made by Deyalsingh during the Ministry of Health’s virtual press conference on Wednesday.
BBC reported, “Officials in Trinidad “wasted so much time” trying to confirm Nicki Minaj’s comments about Covid jab side effects, according to a government minister.
“The rapper tweeted disinformation about side effects of the coronavirus vaccine – saying that when a friend of her cousin had the jab, his testicles swelled up and he became impotent.”
She claimed it happened in Trinidad.
Deyalsingh said while all claims were taken seriously, there was no such report.
The minister said, “As we stand now, there is absolutely no reported side effect or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad… and none that we know of anywhere in the world.”
People reported, “The health minister of Trinidad and Tobago forcefully denied Nicki Minaj ‘s claim that her cousin’s friend developed swollen testicles and became impotent from a Covid-19 vaccine, after he spent the day clarifying if it was possible.”
The Daily Beast reported, “The health minister for Trinidad and Tobago said on Wednesday that government officials have “wasted” time “running down [a] false claim” made by Nicki Minaj of swollen testicles possibly being linked to the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Minaj who has more than 22 million followers on Twitter alone, on Monday, began a social media war with her controversial statements with many lashing out at her for promoting anti-vaccine messages.
Deyalsingh said, “Claims are being made. One of the reasons that we could not have responded yesterday (Tuesday) in real time to Ms Minaj is that we had to check and make sure what she was claiming was true of false. And unfortunately we wasted so much time yesterday (Tuesday) running down this false claim.”
Related story below:
False Claim of Testicular Swelling in Minaj Tweet – T&T Health Minister
