The Vaccine Probably Didn’t Affect Nicki Minaj's Cousin’s Friend’s Testicles — Doctors Explain Why
There may be a better explanation for his issues...
Tinseltown / Shutterstock Nicki Minaj did not attend the Met Gala last night explaining on Twitter that she wasn't vaccinated yet — but her reasons have left many baffled.
She posted on Twitter that she will get it, saying, "It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe."
She added, “I’m sure I’ll b vaccinated as well cuz I have to go on tour."
She also didn't want to head to the MET Gala because, as she tweeted, she has an infant and currently no nannies during COVID. "who mad? Not risking his health to be seen. One yaself."
What did Nicki Minaj say about the COVID-19 vaccine?
Minaj claimed, in a tweet that a friend of her cousin in Trinidad became impotent after getting the vaccine.
Nicki tweeted, "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."
There may be another reason for Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend health issues.
Writer Kurt Eichenwald posted a reply tweet to Nicki's story, saying, "Sorry, @NICKIMINAJ, not a side effect of the vaccine. It's called hydrocele. In adults, the 2 primary causes are injury or STD (chlamydia or gonorrhea). Probably your cousin's friend was taking one last marriage fling, picked up an STD & is blaming vaccines. He needs an MD, stat."
Eichenwald is right about the side effects or risk factors of Hydrocele. It's caused by injury or inflammation to the scrotum and by an infection including from a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
The side effects are exactly what Minaj described as her cousin's friend's testicle issue. The swelling arises from a fluid-filled sac around the testicle.
According to a 2016 study on hyrodcele by Stony Brook University School of Medicine, "though hydrocele typically presents as a painless mass, it can lead to psychological complications responsible for sexual dysfunction and infertility."
Vaccines also show no sign of impacting fertility. Studies from clinical trials of the vaccine show that there are no side effects or issues related to sexual health, erectile dysfunction, or impotence in their reports.
Public health experts have also said that impotency is not a known side effect of any of the COVID-19 vaccines, which are officially authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.
However, getting COVID-19 while unvaccinated puts men at greater risk for infection and erectile dysfunction.
Studies have shown that men who were infected with COVID-19 can experience scrotal discomfort, congestion, and a low sperm count.
Nicki Minaj's vaccine tweet highlights the problem of misinformation.
It's dangerous for celebrities and high-profile individuals to spread stories with misinformation about the vaccine instead of relying on science.
According to a spokesperson for Twitter, which has established guidelines prohibiting the spread of misinformation, Minaj's tweets somehow don't violate the policy.
Minaj also mentioned Monday that she shot a music video while prepping for the Video Music Awards and got COVID, but claimed Drake got COVID even with the vaccine.
The current wave of the newest coronavirus cases in the United States has been described by the Biden administration as “a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”
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Public health experts have also said that this widespread vaccine hesitancy amongst the more than 80 million Americans still unvaccinated can cause further COVID variants to develop and can keep the pandemic raging indefinitely.
Vaccine skepticism is still a big problem
Scientists and experts have encountered vaccine skepticism from groups including some Black and Hispanic adults, who have historically faced very legitimate healthcare challenges in the U.S., as well as disproportionately white, rural, evangelical Christian, and politically conservative people, surveys show.
Social platforms like Twitter and Facebook give users the chance to spread conspiracy theories all over the web.
On September 6th, NewsGuard, a journalism and technology company that rates the credibility of news sites and tracks misinformation, found that of the 6,700 websites they analyzed, 519 promoted misinformation about COVID-19 that included widely debunked claims about vaccines.
According to its website, some of the misinformation involved health or political conspiracy theories, but one of the scariest findings was that some of the material was "created specifically to spread misinformation about COVID-19."
In the NewsGuard study, they were also able to identify 50 of the top COVID-19 vaccine myths, and debunked claims that the vaccines alter people's DNA, cause infertility or create new variants of the virus.
If Minaj really does want to do her research then she should stay away from Twitter and read articles from medical authorities like the CDC, WHO, and listen to the experts when it comes to all things COVID-19 and vaccines.
Megan Hatch is a writer at YourTango who covers news & entertainment, love & relationships, and internet culture. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.