Dr Fauci suggests Nicki Minaj’s ‘Swollen Balls’ vaccine claim is pure nut

Dr Anthony Fauci may be a little irritated by Nicki Minaj’s false claim that the COVID-19 vaccine can cause a man’s testicles to swell.

CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday asked the country’s top infectious disease expert to respond to an anecdote Minaj shared on Twitter about why she hasn’t been vaccinated yet.

The hip-hop artist tweeted on Monday that she was planning to get the coronavirus vaccine once she did more research, but then shared an anecdote allegedly from a cousin in Trinidad who claimed that her friend’s testicles became swollen after receiving the vaccine.

Although many Twitter users stepped in to challenge Minaj’s cheeky – and false – claim, Tapper decided to get Fauci’s point of view. But he also felt compelled to explain why he was asking the doctor a question he knew was ridiculous.

“Normally I wouldn’t even ask you questions about it, but Nicki Minaj has nearly 180 million Twitter and Instagram followers combined,” Tapper noted, adding that vaccine opponents used her questionable tweet as “ a kind of proof “.

Tapper then asked Fauci if there was any evidence that the vaccines were causing reproductive problems.

“The answer to that, Jake, is a definite no,” Fauci said. There is no evidence that this is happening, nor any mechanistic reason to imagine that it would happen. So the answer to your question is no.

Fauci then pointed out how difficult it is for officials to counter disinformation and misinformation like Minaj’s while trying not to attack him.

“These claims may be innocent on her part – I don’t blame her for anything – but she should think twice before spreading information that really has no basis except a one-off anecdote,” he said. . “This is not the goal of science. “

So far, Minaj has not commented on Fauci’s comments but, according to Mediaite, she has engaged in wars on Twitter with, among others, MSNBC’s Joy Reid, Meghan McCain and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. .