Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said there have been no reports of testicular swelling as a result of covid19 vaccines, either in Trinidad and Tobago or the world.

Speaking at the Health Ministry’s covid19 media conference on Wednesday, Deyalsingh said the ministry spent a lot of time researching the issue after a tweet by Trinidad-born rapper Nicki Minaj on Monday.

“We didn’t respond on Tuesday because we had to check and make sure it was true or false, as we take such claims seriously.

"We wasted so much time on that. There is no such reported side effect or adverse effect of testicular swelling in Trinidad or anywhere else in the world.”

Deyalsingh said the tweet and surrounding controversy also did not help the ministry in its fight against vaccine hesitancy.

“The tweet did not help. We had to expend a lot of time and energy yesterday, because suppose it was true? We don’t want to be accused of ignoring it.

"People like her are social influencers who carry some sway. So it will make our jobs a little harder.”

On Monday, Minaj tweeted, “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."

The tweet was widely mocked by Twitter users, journalists and medical authorities on both sides of the Atlantic and in TT

She later asked fans what vaccine they would get and recommended that people who needed the vaccine for work should get it.

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