The health minister for Trinidad and Tobago responded to Nicki Minaj’s tale about her cousin’s friend who received the COVID vaccine and was left with swollen testicles. 

“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 hip-hop star tweeted Monday.

Rapper Nicki Minaj attends TIDAL X: 1015 on October 15, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for TIDAL)

Trinidad and Tobago Health Minister Dr. Terrence Deyalsingh said on Wednesday that his ministry “wasted so much time” on Tuesday probing Minja’s swollen testicles claim, noting there has been “absolutely no reported such side effect or adverse event.”

“But her tweet certainly did not help because people like her are social influencers and they do carry some sway,” he said on Wednesday, according to local outlet CNC3. “So it certainly didn’t help, and will make our job a little harder, which we don’t need right now.”

Trinidad’s vaccination rate stands at around 32 percent.

Several media personalities and health officials were quick to fire back and accuse the rapper of spreading misinformation about COVID vaccines. Fans also sent Minaj links on social media to credible sources about the vaccines. 

England’s chief medical officer, Prof. Chris Whitty said in response to Minaj’s comments that those who knowingly spread misinformation about the vaccines “should be ashamed” and “many of those people… know that they are peddling untruths, but they still do it.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also debunked her remarks, claiming there is no evidence that the vaccine causes male fertility issues.

“It is just not true that getting the COVID-19 vaccine is associated with infertility in either males or females,” Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University, told PEOPLE.

“In fact, we know that there are actually consequences, if somebody gets COVID-19, in terms of the impact on the male reproductive system,” she said, adding: “There have been studies that have linked scrotal discomfort and low sperm count to having COVID-19. In addition, there has been an association between scrotal swelling and congestion to having COVID-19. So, to emphasize, these are not associated with the vaccine but with the disease.”

As Minaj continues to defend her views, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens have come to her defense. 

Owens shared Minaj’s post about swollen testicles along with the caption, “This is everything. Real queens do not act because of peer pressure. It’s not about fitting in or being cool. We all know someone who has had a bad reaction to the vaccine and yet these stories are being censored by Big Tech. Thank you, @NICKIMINAJ for speaking truth.”

Meanwhile, several masked protesters gathered outside the CDC headquarters in Atlanta on Wednesday morning chanting: “Nicki Minaj told me the truth. Fauci lied to me.”

The demonstration occurred after Nicki’s controversial tweet about testicular swelling related to the COVID vaccine.

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