Dolly Parton: Why the country legend is being held as a COVID-19 ‘saviour’

If anyone needed more convincing that Dolly Parton is a force for good in the world – they just got it.

The diminutive singing legend donated $1m (£814,000) to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center – a partner of the US company Moderna that has developed the COVID-19 vaccine.

Now fans have taken to social media claiming the queen of country music has “cured coronavirus“.

Moderna’s president Stephen Hoge told Sky News that through her financial support of Vanderbilt, Parton had indeed helped fund early research and clinical trials that led to the success.

“Yes, that’s true,” he said.

In reference to one of the star’s biggest hits, Jolene, one fan tweeted: “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vacciiiiine.”

And it opened the floodgates.

Another said that as Dolly had made such a big donation: “Ergo, Dolly helped cure COVID.”

One fan tweeted: “This wholesome queen has saved the world. I couldn’t be happier!”

Back in May Parton recorded a new song called When Life Is Good Again, which was all about the pandemic and lockdown.

Its uplifting lyrics include: ‘When life is good again, I’ll be a better friend. A bigger person when, life is good again.

“I’ll open up my heart, and let the whole world in. ‘ll try to make amends, when life is good again.”

Then she made the surprise announcement that she would be helping to fund vaccination research.

She told her fans on Twitter: “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.

“I am making a donation of $1million to Vanderbilt towards that research and to encourage people that can afford it to make donations.”

On Monday, US biotech firm Moderna announced it had developed a coronavirus vaccine that trials show is almost 95 per cent effective.

(c) Sky News 2020: Dolly Parton: Why the country legend is being held as a COVID-19 ‘saviour’