Rest easy, folks. Dolly is protected.
Early on in the COVID pandemic, Dolly Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University to go towards the development of the Moderna vaccine, which has since been found to be 94.5% effective at preventing COVID-19.
And while I think I can speak for everybody when I say we would have been 100% fine with the first shot of the vaccine going to Dolly, that’s not her style.
She said recently that she wasn’t going to skip the line just because she donated the money to fund the vaccine.
“No. I’m not going to get mine until some more people get theirs. I don’t want it to look like I’m jumping the line just because I donated money. I’m very funny about that.
I’m going to get mine though, but I’m going to wait. I’m at the age where I could have gotten mine legally last week. I turned 75. I was going to do it on my birthday, and I thought, “Nah, don’t do that.” You’ll look like you’re just doing a show. None of my work is really like that. I wasn’t doing it for a show.
I’m going to get mine. I want it. I’m going to get it. When I get it, I’ll probably do it on camera so people will know and I’ll tell them the truth, if I have symptoms and all that. Hopefully it’ll encourage people. I’m not going to jump the line just because I could.”
Well the time has finally come for Dolly to get her first shot of the vaccine that she helped fund.
And just like she promised, she did it on camera – and even re-wrote one of her old classics, “Jolene,” for the occasion.
Along with encouraging everybody else to get vaccinated when their time comes, Dolly had some pretty strong words for people who are still refusing to get the vaccine:
“I just want to say to all of you cowards out there: Don’t be such a chicken squat. Get out there and get your shot.”
