Nicki Minaj fans in Atlanta protest vaccine mandate
By Mariya Morrow, Tori Cooper
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ATLANTA (WGCL) — Nicki Minaj fans rallied outside of the CDC headquarters in Atlanta Wednesday to protest the vaccine mandate, chanting “Nicki Minaj told me the truth. Fauci lied to me.”
The masked protestors gathered in front of the health agency’s building after a controversial tweet was made by famous rap artist, Nicki Minaj, in which she claimed her cousin’s friend began experiencing testicular swelling and became impotent after getting vaccinated.
The 10-time Grammy-nominated rapper also tweeted that she would not get vaccinated as a requirement to attend the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) Gala, an event she was supposedly expected to attend.
The Atlanta protesters are claiming that the CDC is lying about vaccine efficacy and that Minaj is spreading the truth.
“We are here because the CDC has been lying to us for so long,” a Minaj fan said.
CBS46 fact checked the claims, starting in Trinidad. “We wasted so much time yesterday chasing down this false claim,” Trinidad & Tobago Health Minister Dr. Terrence Deyalsingh said.
Deyalsingh said there have been no such reports of this type of adverse reaction.
Then CBS46 went straight to the CDC.
”We know that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and they don’t affect men or women’s fertility,” CDC Scientist and Misinformation expert Dr. Neetu said.
The rapper’s tweets come while vaccination rates in Georgia remain under 50%.
“We should all question this vaccine!” a Minaj fan said.
Dr. Neetu Abad said fans shouldn’t take medical advice from celebrities and they should rely on their doctor’s recommendations. She also said celebrities like Nicki who have more than 22 million followers on social media have a responsibility to the public.
“Throughout this pandemic we have urged platforms small and big to take care what they are conveying around COVID-19 vaccines, because we know that can be impactful around people’s behavior.”
Minaj also told her followers on Twitter they should do research and get vaccinated if their livelihood depends on it. She also said she will be getting vaccinated because she has to go on tour.
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