Dolly Parton, the American singer, has notably contributed to the research efforts of scientists working to create the Moderna vaccine.
At the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, Parton collaborated with the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre to create awareness about the search for a vaccine, safety measures and the importance of wearing facemasks.
The Guardian reported that Dolly Parton gifted the sum of $1 million towards the research for the Moderna vaccine. This move was described as “truly the greatest gift of all” by researchers and Moderna vaccination rollouts began, Dolly Parton was among the first people to get vaccinated.
The money which Parton donated went primarily to the Medical Centre at Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt’s Medical Centre was one of the American research centres that developed the Moderna vaccine.
In a BBC report documenting her efforts, Dolly Parton said she was “honoured and proud” to help in the fight against COVID-19 using her resources. Parton, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, also said she was happy that she could do her “small” part in the fight to end COVID.
However, Dolly Parton’s efforts have gone a long way in ensuring that fewer people die of coronavirus. Her charitable endeavours towards the creation of the Moderna vaccine created the avenue for a faster search for a solution to the pandemic that has ravaged across America, claiming as much as 730000 million lives according to Statista.
Dolly Parton’s financial contributions to the COVID-19 fight are however not the singer’s first time displaying humanitarian efforts. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, Dolly Parton contributed money towards the development and building of a hospital called The Leconte Medical Centre. Currently in its eleventh year, the women’s wing of the hospital is named after her.