Chris Whitty criticises Nicki Minaj’s claims about Covid vaccines
Boris VS Nicki Minaj: Surreal war of words breaks out as US pop star sends PM bizarre voice message with faux British accent after he blasted her for sharing anti-vax myth about impotence to her 22m Twitter followers
PM said he would rather listen to NHS England’s top GP Nikki Kanani about jabsHe and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty condemned the pop star’s remarksMinaj said her cousin’s friend allegedly became impotent after getting vaccineAfter being criticised she then sent back a message in a comedic British accent
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Chris Whitty and Boris Johnson today criticised Nicki Minaj for spreading an ‘untrue’ and ‘ridiculous’ myth that coronavirus vaccines can cause impotence.
The Prime Minister said he would rather listen to NHS England’s top GP Nikki Kanani about the jab as he and the Chief Medical Officer condemned the star’s remarks.
Minaj was mocked after telling her 22million Twitter followers that her cousin won’t get the vaccine because his friend allegedly became impotent after being jabbed.
The 38-year-old tweeted yesterday: ‘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.’
Mr Whitty and Mr Johnson both criticised Minaj after being asked about what she said by a reporter during their press conference from Downing Street this afternoon.
Minaj then took to Twitter again after watching a video of the two men speaking, saying: ‘I love him even tho I guess this was a diss? The accent ugh! Yassss boo!!!’
Moment later she recorded an audio message in a comedic British accent, tweeting: ‘Send this to the Prime Minister and let him know they lied on me. I forgive him. No one else. Only him.’
She said in the message: ‘Yes, hello Prime Minister, Boris, it’s Nicki Minaj – I was just calling to tell you that you were so amazing on the news this morning. And I’m actually British. I was born there. I went to university there.
‘I went to Oxford. I went to school with Margaret Thatcher. And she told me so many nice things about you. I’d love to send you my portfolio of my work, since you don’t know much about me, I’m a big, big star in the United States.’
Nicki Minaj was mocked after telling her 22million Twitter followers that her cousin won’t get the vaccine because his friend allegedly became impotent after being jabbed
Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a Downing Street press conference this afternoon
Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty during the briefing in Downing Street today
Minaj was ridiculed over a tweet yesterday which was condemned by Mr Whitty and the PM
Minaj then took to Twitter again today, after watching a video of the two men speaking
Moments later Minaj recorded an audio message to Mr Johnson in a comedic British accent
During the press conference, the Prime Minister said: ‘I’m not as familiar with the works of Nicki Minaj as I probably should be.
‘But I am familiar with Nikki Kanani, superstar GP of Bexley who’s appeared many times before you, who will tell you that vaccines are wonderful and everybody should get them. So I prefer to listen to Nikki Kanani.’
And Mr Whitty said: ‘There are a number of myths that fly around with varying… some of which are just clearly ridiculous, and some of which are clearly designed just to scare. That happens to be one of them. That is untrue.
‘My own strong suggestion to media present and not present is repeating them in public actually gives them credence which they don’t need. They’re untrue, full stop.
‘If you think about where we are actually overall… the great majority of people are getting vaccinated, so the great majority of people are ignoring these myths.
‘And if you talking about people in their 50s and 60s and 70s, you’re talking about over 90 per cent of people getting vaccinated, and very few people actually are actively in… the anti-vaxx group.
‘There are a few people who’ve got strange beliefs, and fine, and they make their own choices, and in a sense, also fine, people, adults are allowed to make their own choices. However strange that is a basic principle of medical ethics actually.
‘But there are also people who go around trying to discourage other people from taking a vaccine which could be life-saving or prevent them from having life-changing injuries to themselves.
‘And many of those people, I regret to say, I think know they are peddling untruths and, but they still do it. In my view, they should be ashamed. And I’ll leave it at that.’
Reacting to Mr Whitty’s comments, DailyMail.com US editor-at-large Piers Morgan tweeted: ‘Professor Whitty beefing with the ghastly @NICKIMINAJ (one of the rudest little madams I’ve ever met) is not the breaking news that I expected today – but it’s most welcome. She’s peddling lies that will cost lives.’
It comes after Minaj revealed this week that she is unvaccinated and was not moved to receive the jab by the Met Gala’s attendance requirements.
The chart-topping rapper said she caught Covid while preparing for the MTV Video Music Awards, which took place on Sunday.
Guests at the Met Gala – a glamorous event in New York City known as fashion’s biggest night – were reportedly required to be fully vaccinated in order to attend.
Minaj, who pulled out of the VMAs, told fans on Twitter she was still researching vaccines.
She tweeted: ‘They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met.
‘It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one.’
Minaj, whose son will turn one later this month, said Drake, her close friend and superstar rapper, caught Covid despite being vaccinated.
She said: ‘I was prepping for vmas then i shot a video & guess who got COVID? Do u know what it is not to be able to kiss or hold your tiny baby for over a week? A baby who is only used to his mama? ‘get vaccinated’ Drake had just told me he got covid w|THE VACCINE tho so chile.’
Minaj, who was criticised for her comments, said she would recommend the vaccine for anyone who needed it for work.
The Prime Minister said he would rather listen to NHS England’s top GP Nikki Kanani (above)
Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty (left), Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance (C) walk along Downing Street this afternoon
DailyMail.com US editor-at-large Piers Morgan is among those tweeting about the comments
And she said she may need to receive the jab when she starts touring.
In the US, vaccine hesitancy is one of the biggest issues facing Joe Biden’s administration.
Last week the president criticised the roughly 80 million unvaccinated Americans and announced sweeping new vaccine requirements.
There have been more than 41 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US, official figures show, with more than 660,000 deaths.
In Britain, it was announced today that booster Covid vaccines will be offered to millions of people from next week alongside annual flu jabs.
Those eligible include anyone aged 50 and over, people living and working in elderly care homes, and frontline health and social care workers.
All those who are clinically extremely vulnerable and anyone aged 16 to 65 in an at-risk group for Covid will also be eligible for a jab.
Impotence is not listed as a potential side effect on the NHS website.
