Nicki Minaj’s wild Twitter conspiracy about her cousin in Trinidad, swollen balls, and the COVID-19 vaccine has raised concern worldwide. However, Trinidad’s health professionals told VICE News they learned about the fears even before Nicki got involved.
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. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021
Nicki claimed her cousin’s friend who received the vaccine ended up with swollen testicles and a subsequent broken engagement. Nicki’s conspiracy, fueled by her widespread tweets, has reportedly raised existing vaccine hesitancy in Trinidad. Consequently, Trinidadian officials say the number of people willing to vaccinate has shortened.
Dr. Lester Goetz, founding president of the Caribbean Urological Association, addressed the rumors, saying he doesn’t think that “a majority of men really believe it to be true.” However, he continued: “Once doubt has been suggested, then they do not want to take the chance, even if there’s no scientific basis for it.”
Trinidad and Tobago’s Health Minister, Terrence Deyalsingh, denied the conspiracies about the vaccine as well, and expressed frustration at having to debunk them. “What was sad about this is that it wasted our time yesterday trying to track down because we take all these claims seriously,” Deyalsingh said last Wednesday.
Main Concerns About Vaccine’s Side Effects
One of the main vaccination concerns among the masses seems to be worsening sexual performance. Nina Khan, Trinidad’s Ministry of Agriculture assistant, said that one of her colleagues shared he “would prefer to die before his libido dies.”
“There’s a lot of sexuality involved in our culture,” Rhoda Bharath, a lecturer at the University of the West Indies, told VICE News. “What you find is that there’s a preoccupation with male sexual performance all the time. Men here believe that there are a number of things that they need to eat, drink, and do on a regular basis to be able to enhance their sexual performance.”
Some of the vaccine hesitancy likely also stems from cultural beliefs, such as Trinidad’s collective fear of needles. According to Dr. Fuad Khan, a urologist based out of the Trinidadian city of St. Augustine, that fear originates in childhood. Firstly, parents scare their children with shots at the doctor’s. As a result, the youthful fear transforms into an adulthood phobia.
Vaccines, Nicki Minaj, and Controversy
Nicki’s Twitter storm first began two weeks ago, when she tweeted about refusing to attend Met Gala due to the mandatory vaccine requirement. She followed that tweet up by sharing the infamous tragedy of her cousin’s friend in Trinidad.
They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one 🙏♥️
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021
The media backlash from Nicki’s tweets went wild, with the conspiracy even making it to the British government. In response, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared Nicki’s claims false. Moreover, Johnson said he’s more “familiar with Nikki Kanani” than Nicki Minaj.
However, FOX News personality Tucker Carlson disagreed. He has dedicated parts of his shows to Nicki’s perspectives, claiming them “sensible.” Subsequently, Nicki shared Carlson’s comments on Twitter, captioning the video with a bullseye emoji.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 15, 2021
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Written by Nikita Serdiuk | IG: @nikitasrdk | Twitter: @nktserdiuk