World famous country singer and cultural icon, Dolly Parton, released a video of herself getting a shot of the new Moderna vaccine. The AV Club discusses her latest contribution to the struggle against the coronavirus pandemic. You could say she got a dose of her own medicine: at the start of the pandemic, Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center near her Nashville, Tennessee home. The centre collaborated with the drug maker Moderna in developing one of the earliest vaccines authorized by the United States. The US government went on to invest $1 billion for the development and testing of the vaccine. Parton's contribution was one of many decisive contributions that financed drug development in its crucial early stages.
In the video, the country music star sang a rendition of her hit song, "Jolene", replacing the name "Jolene" with "vaccine". Despite her comic take on getting vaccinated, she had an important message for the public, saying, "I'm so excited. I've been waiting a while".
"I'm old enough to get it and I'm smart enough to get it. I'm trying to be funny now, but I'm dead serious about the vaccine. I think we all want to get back to normal, whatever that is. And that would be a great shot in the arm, wouldn't it, if we could get back to that?"
Polls have shown that many Americans are hesitant about taking the vaccine. President Joe Biden has vowed that there will be enough vaccines for every adult in the United States, but surveys show that around a third of Americans are reluctant to take the vaccine, with minorities showing even higher levels of hesitancy. In her effort to encourage people to take the vaccine, Parton said, "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".
The doctor who administered the dose was her old friend, Naji Abumrad, who treated her in 2013 after a car accident left her with minor injuries. It was Abumrad who encouraged her to support research and development efforts, leading her to contribute what has become known by many as the Dolly Parton Covid-19 research fund.
Parton's tweet went viral, earning over 45,000 retweets and over 159,000 likes! Abumrad's son, Jad, shared the video and went viral too, earning over 9,000 retweets and over 175,000 likes! Clearly Parton still has plenty of fans, from doctors, to fellow singers and even your favourite professional logo designer. Abumrad said it was "wild" seeing his dad administer the dose to Parton.
When Dr Abumrad knocked something off the table while getting ready to administer the vaccine, Parton joked that, "I didn't know you were going to be so clumsy, I hope you're going to do better with my shot!" When she had gotten her first shot, she said, "That didn't hurt."
Parton is among a host of celebs who have received the vaccine, following on from celebrities such as David Attenborough, Michael Caine, Elton John, Ian McKellen and Tony Robinson. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, to date, over 50 million adults in the United States have been given at least one dose of the vaccine.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of musictimes.com
