COVID Vaccines 'Don't Cause Swollen Testicles', Nicki Minaj Told

A tweet about swollen testicles has become the latest episode in a parade of disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic on social media after US rapper Nicki Minaj claimed the COVID-19 vaccine had caused impotence and swollen genitalia in a family friend.

Photo Insert: The government of Trinidad was particularly miffed with Nicki Minaj as it devoted time and resources to verifying the alleged case.

Experts told Tom Bateman of Euronews Next that those symptoms were not known side effects of the vaccines.

"My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent," Minaj, one of the world's most successful female recording artists, told her 22.6 million followers on Twitter.

"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," she wrote.

Experts told Euronews Next these symptoms were not linked to the COVID-19 vaccines. Late on Tuesday, England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty responded to a question about Minaj's tweet, telling a COVID press conference, "there are a number of myths that fly around, some of which are just clearly ridiculous and some of which are clearly designed just to scare.

That happens to be one of them. That is untrue." In March, Twitter began applying warning labels to tweets that may contain disinformation relating to COVID-19. No such label has been applied to Minaj's tweet.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which regulates the COVID-19 vaccines and tracks side effects of the jabs, told Euronews Next that it was unlikely a jab for the virus caused the man's discomfort.

"The event described in the tweet you mentioned is not a known side effect of the COVID-19 vaccines," an EMA spokesperson said. Experts said there was no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines caused impotence or swollen testicles.

A spokesperson for the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) told Euronews Next that in the course of monitoring the safety of the AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech, and Moderna vaccines authorized for use in Britain, it had not identified cases of the symptoms described by Minaj.

WEEKLY FEATURE : PAL READY TO SOAR WITH PANDEMIC