Twitter Is Worshipping Dolly Parton for Her $1 Million Donation to the Coronavirus Vaccine

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As coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continue to surge in every single state, with the virus now killing at least one American every minute of the day, the race to create a safe and effective vaccine that is accessible to as many people as possible is a critical mission at this point. So music fans were undoubtedly delighted to find out that country icon Dolly Parton donated $1 million to help fund Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine research, with no one being more surprised by the results of her generous donation than Parton herself.

Back in April, during the first wave of COVID-19 infections in the U.S., Parton made a $1 million donation towards Vanderbilt University’s coronavirus research efforts, sharing the news on Instagram and encouraging others to donate as well.

In her caption, she wrote, “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 research of the coronavirus for a cure.”

As reported by CNN, Vanderbilt University Medical Center thanked Parton for her donation in a statement, writing, “We are incredibly grateful to Dolly (@DollyParton) for believing in our doctors and researchers as we work hard to fight COVID-19.”

And now, as two vaccines with a more than 90% efficacy rate are undergoing clinical trials, Parton’s monetary support has gone a long way to help Moderna’s efforts, with the Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund serving as one of the benefactors that are helping to develop and distribute the much-needed vaccine to the virus that has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 Americans.

As for Parton, well, it seems she’s just as thrilled as the rest of us are that her contribution will help so many. In an interview with BBC's The One Show on Tuesday, November 17th, she felt "very honored and very proud" to have supported the efforts, adding, “I'm sure many millions of dollars from many people went into that. But I just felt so proud to have been part of that little seed money that will hopefully grow into something great and help to heal this world."

And, we're not sure why this didn't click before, but of course Dolly Parton can *and will* be responsible for curing the world. Her multitude of talents is beyond comprehension.

Get you a superhero who can do both:

"I'm a very proud girl today to know I had anything at all to do with something that's going to help us through this crazy pandemic," she said.

We’re pretty proud of her, too, and endlessly grateful to Parton for making such a major difference during this global health crisis.