Rapper Nicki Minaj has been slammed for tweeting inaccurate information on Covid vaccines.
It has been quite a few months since the vaccines against COVID-19 were rolled out. Barring initial hesitation, people turned up in large numbers to get inoculated. This was as much a government effort as it was the responsibility of the civil society and the public at large. Many celebrities came forward to encourage people to take the jab, but in the middle of all this, there were some who remained skeptical about the vaccines. The latest to raise doubt about COVID-19 vaccines is rapper Nicki Minaj, and she is facing public backlash for tweeting what some people are calling “gossip” and “lies” that will cost lives. The Trinidad-born artiste said a friend of her cousin had become "impotent" after taking the COVID-19 jab.
She has more than 22 million followers on Twitter, where she made the claim, but has produced no proof to back it up.
"My cousin in Trinidad won't get the vaccine because his friend got it and became impotent," Nicki Minaj tweeted.
Recently, the rapper reportedly skipped the Met Gala — one of the most high-profile social events of the year — because she was not vaccinated. The event usually takes place in May, but had been postponed to September and mandated only vaccinated participants. In another tweet, the 10-time Grammy nominee told her fans she was avoiding public events because she has a new baby at home.
Her tweets have drawn the ire of many users who say her claims are not based on facts. One user said that people react to even ibuprofen but should not mean they stop taking painkillers, adding “gossip isn't research”.
British broadcaster and journalist Piers Morgan said she's “peddling lies that will cost lives”.
American painter Brandon Bird said the rapper was popular enough to get personal expert advice but “instead you do this”.
Top Ripple executive David Schwartz also joined the debate.
Some others just trolled Minaj for propagating unverified reports.
Several medical professionals, doctors, and world institutions have said that the certified vaccines against COVID-19 are safe.
Dr Arturo Casadevall, chair of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told CNBC that the symptoms were "almost certainly" not caused by the vaacine.
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