Dolly Parton is getting some of the credit for a COVID-19 vaccine Canadians might get next year.
Moderna announced Monday it has developed a vaccine that appears to be 94.5 percent effective. The federal government has ordered 20 million doses – enough to vaccinate 10 million people – and has an option for an additional 36 million doses.
The company worked with Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which received a $1 million U.S. donation from Parton.
“My longtime friend Dr Naji Abumrad, who’s been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards that research of the coronavirus for a cure,” the country icon wrote on Instagram earlier this year.
A footnote in the New England Journal of Medicine report credits “the Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund.”
On social media, fans and others are loving Parton’s contribution to the research that led to a promising vaccine. Here is a sample of the reactions:
Why are we not discussing the fact that the vaccine with the good news this morning was partly funded by Dolly Parton?
— Jonathan Katz, hoping for pumpkin snacks (@JonathanPKatz) November 16, 2020
Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vacciiiiiiiiiiiiiine
Fact-checking this was worth it just to see @DollyParton in the acknowledgments of a @NEJM article. And I thought I couldn’t love her more. https://t.co/S3njHEFcGT pic.twitter.com/WcrFIrHp67
— Dr. Meade Krosby (@MeadeKrosby) November 17, 2020
Dolly Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt for vaccine research.
— Jonathan "Boo and Vote" Cohn (@JonathanCohn) November 17, 2020
Vanderbilt researchers were involved in the Moderna trials.
Ergo, Dolly Parton helped cure COVID.
Dolly Parton just casually saving the world from covid by funding the new vaccine with 95% success rate pic.twitter.com/puxEEZLmHL
— Ben Wilson (@benljwilson1996) November 17, 2020
Dolly Parton Resume
— Covfefe Shecky Jones/KingOfShade aka BROLENE (@King_Of_Shade) November 17, 2020
Opry Singer
Porter Wagonner/Kenny Rogers Career Salvager
9-to-5
Dollywood Creator
Whitney Houston Career Saver
Buffy The Vampire Slayer-Producer
Billion Dollar Literacy Advocate
ACM, CMA, BMI Awards
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Cured COVID
Any Questions? pic.twitter.com/FFvbhwaMe9
Dolly Parton contributed $1m to the development of the Moderna vaccine - just in case we didn’t all acknowledge how amazing she is already. pic.twitter.com/gULagux3ID
— Cllr. Séamas de Faoite (@SeamasBelfast) November 17, 2020