Dolly Parton's Vanderbilt donation supported Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine
As if we needed another reason to love Dolly Parton.
The country star's $1 million donation to Vanderbilt has made an impact on the search for a COVID-19 vaccine.
The icon made headlines in April with the major donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in honor of her friend, Dr. Naji Abumrad, to support research teams working on coronavirus cures.
When pharmaceutical giant Moderna announced Monday that its vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection, there was a familiar name among the list of research supporters in the New England Journal of Medicine: "the Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund (Vanderbilt University Medical Center)."
Parton's money has also gone toward convalescent plasma studies, which takes the antibodies from patients who had the virus to treat those who are currently infected with it.
The star reacted to the news in a tweet on Tuesday. "When I donated the money to the Covid fund I just wanted it to do good and evidently, it is!" she wrote. "Let’s just hope we can find a cure real soon."
