“Country music legend Dolly Parton gave fans another reason to cheer this week when her name circulated on Twitter as a funding source for a promising coronavirus vaccine. A tweet showed the “Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund” mentioned in the footnotes of a New England Journal of Medicine article about Moderna’s vaccine, said to be 94.5% effective against COVID-19 in preliminary findings. It was a reminder that the “Jolene” singer donated $1 million to coronavirus research back in April. That money became part of the potential vaccine because she contributed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which helped develop Moderna’s breakthrough. One Dolly loyalist hailed the singer because she “potentially saved the world” (a bit of an exaggeration but we totally get it) and Twitter users offered other tributes. 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 President Biden should award her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. pic.twitter.com/SIemyXAaKb— 🌈bitty_in_pink 💫 (@bitty_in_pink) November 17, 2020 Why are we not discussing the fact that the vaccine with the good news this morning was partly funded by Dolly Parton?Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vacciiiiiiiiiiiiiine— Jonathan Katz, hoping for pumpkin snacks (@JonathanPKatz) November 16, 2020 OK this became a bit more popular than I anticipated. Please remember to take care of yourselves folks – that’s all I have to say! pic.twitter.com/5PmA7K2aO4— Jonathan Katz, hoping for pumpkin snacks (@JonathanPKatz) November 16, 2020 I want everyone to know that Dolly Parton gave us Buffy the tv series, the song 9 to 5, Dollywood, and of course the Covid vaccine. https://t.co/mCPB3QlCpZ— Kevidently (@Kevidently) November 17, 2020 Not only did Dolly Parton write Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the same day, but she also potentially saved the world. pic.twitter.com/jyvShbaWqA— Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper) November 17, 2020 pic.twitter.com/KqPbQEhSdi— Philip Dell’Isola (@mnkyby) November 17, 2020 Madam President Dolly Parton gave us the vaccine, a news Xmas album, and TWO holiday TV movies all in like 6 weeks pic.twitter.com/6WmdadhLyR— kylo sten (@ksteeno) November 17, 2020 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
