[UPDATED] Deyalsingh: No evidence worldwide that covid19 vaccines cause testicular swelling

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh has said there have been no reports of testicular swelling as a result of the covid19 vaccine, either in TT or the world.

Speaking at the Health Ministry’s covid19 media conference on Wednesday, Deyalsingh said the Health Ministry spent a lot of time researching the issue following a tweet by rapper Nicki Minaj on Monday.

“We didn’t respond on Tuesday in real time to Ms Minaj because we had to check and make sure that what she was claiming was false, and unfortunately we wasted so much time yesterday running down this false claim....as far as we know at this point in time, there has been no such reported either side effect or adverse effect.

"What was sad about this is that it wasted our time yesterday trying to track down, because we take all these claims seriously, whether on social or mainstream media.

"As we stand now, there is absolutely no reported such side effect or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad or anywhere else in the world.”

Deyalsingh said the tweet and surrounding controversy also did not help the ministry in its fight against vaccine hesitancy.

“We had to expend a lot of time and energy yesterday (Tuesday), because suppose it was true? And that is what happens to us with these social media tweets and Facebook postings, we have to research them, because suppose it was true, we don’t want to be accused of ignoring it.

"Her tweet certainly didn’t help because people like her are social influencers and they do carry some sway, so it will make our job a little harder, which we don’t need right now.”

On Monday, Minaj tweeted, “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."

Minaj later asked fans what vaccine they would get and recommended that people who needed to get the vaccine for work do so.

According to the Journal of American Medicine, in a paper titled Sperm Parameters Before and After Covid-19 mRNA Vaccination, no difference was found in sperm concentration, sperm count, sperm motility, and semen volume in men before and after covid19 vaccination with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

In an article by Euronews in August, Dr Liudmila Mosina, technical specialist on vaccine-preventable diseases and immunisation at the World Health Organization (WHO) regional office for Europe, said, "WHO recommends covid19 vaccines to all people, including those who plan to have children. Vaccination should not be a reason to postpone or avoid pregnancy. There is no evidence that any vaccines, including covid19 vaccines, affect fertility in women or men."

However, the covid19 virus itself has been shown to have an effect on fertility in both men and women. A study by the University of Miami showed that covid19 caused severe erectile dysfunction after recovery from covid19 infection. Another study in the Wiley Online Library showed covid19 affected the testicles, resulting in impaired hormonal function and fertility in men. A study in the World Journal of Men's Health said covid19 infection damages blood vessels that supply blood to the penis, resulting in erectile dysfunction.

A study on the effects of long covid, titled "Characterizing Long COVID in an International Cohort" showed that reproductive and genital effects in men included sexual dysfunction, urinary and bladder control issues, testicular pain, and decrease in size of the testicles/penis, among others.

In women, long covid effects included menstrual and period issues including abnormally heavy periods/clotting, sexual dysfunction, post-menopausal bleeding, and early menopause in women both over and under 40.

This story was originally published with the title "Judge rules for suspended cop" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said there have been no reports of testicular swelling as a result of covid19 vaccines, either in Trinidad and Tobago or the world.

Speaking at the Health Ministry’s covid19 media conference on Wednesday, Deyalsingh said the ministry spent a lot of time researching the issue after a tweet by Trinidad-born rapper Nicki Minaj on Monday.

“We didn’t respond on Tuesday because we had to check and make sure it was true or false, as we take such claims seriously.

"We wasted so much time on that. There is no such reported side effect or adverse effect of testicular swelling in Trinidad or anywhere else in the world.”

Deyalsingh said the tweet and surrounding controversy also did not help the ministry in its fight against vaccine hesitancy.

“The tweet did not help. We had to expend a lot of time and energy yesterday, because suppose it was true? We don’t want to be accused of ignoring it.

"People like her are social influencers who carry some sway. So it will make our jobs a little harder.”

On Monday, Minaj tweeted, “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 tweet was widely mocked by Twitter users, journalists and medical authorities on both sides of the Atlantic and in TT

She later asked fans what vaccine they would get and recommended that people who needed the vaccine for work should get it.