You didn’t learn this from most Georgia media, but Nicki Minaj supporters marched on the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week chanting that the pop star “told the truth” with her comments about COVID vaccines. One of the rapper’s main concerns is that she was told, after the injection, her cousin’s friend was left impotent and with swollen testicles.
“Nicki told the truth to me! Fauci lied to me!” the protestors chanted, referring to White House point man Dr. Anthony Fauci, who says there’s “no evidence” backing Minaj’s claims.
Protest leaders say they took the “Chun-Li” star’s word over that of CDC officials and Fauci. One of the march’s leaders told an Atlanta TV station that since the rapper was questioning the vaccine, “I’m questioning this vaccine, and we should all question this vaccine.”
At the same time as the Atlanta protest, the health minister of the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago — where Minaj’s cousin’s friend lives — has complained that they “wasted so much time … chasing down the false claim” and that no evidence was found of anyone reporting swollen testicles.
CBS46 did not say if anyone from the CDC addressed the protest outside its HQ in Georgia — a state where less than 45 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
However, Dr. Neetu Abad, a scientist and misinformation expert for the group, diplomatically told the outlet that the CDC “is advocating that people take advice from trusted healthcare professionals.”
“If somebody doesn’t have that background, then no, we don’t recommend listening to them,” she said.
Abad also insisted, “We know that COVID vaccines are safe and effective and they don’t affect men or women’s fertility.”
