Dolly Parton gets COVID-19 vaccine she helped fund with her $1 million donation
Dolly Parton has received her first round of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The superstar shared in an Instagram video Tuesday from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville, Tennessee, that she was "so excited" to be getting the vaccine.
"I've been waiting a while. I'm old enough to get it, and I'm smart enough to get it," she quipped.
Parton even offered an updated version of her hit song "Jolene" to encourage others to get vaccinated by singing, "Vaccine / Vaccine / I'm begging of you please don't hesitate."
"I just wanted to encourage everybody because the sooner we get to feeling better, the sooner we are going to get back to being normal," she said.
Parton donated $1 million to VUMC last year in honor of her friend Dr. Naji Abumrad. Reports later showed that her donation helped fund research for the Moderna vaccine, which is what she received a dose of Tuesday. It was administered by Dr. Abumrad.
Leave it to the nine-time Grammy winner to make getting a vaccine look fun, joking about needing to "look good" for the doctor and playfully remarking that "it didn't take this long to film '9 to 5'" as he prepared the vaccination.
Parton didn't flinch when the needle pierced her arm, remaining still throughout the process.
"I did it, I did it," she said with excitement after the shot was complete.
