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Dolly Parton receives COVID-19 vaccine she helped fund

By Annie Martin   |   March 3, 2021 at 10:24 AM

March 3 (UPI) -- Dolly Parton got "a dose of her own medicine" when she received a COVID-19 vaccine this week.

On Tuesday, Parton, 75, got her first dose of the Moderna vaccine, which she helped fund with a $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in April.

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Parton shared a photo and video on Instagram that show her receiving the vaccine at Vanderbilt.

"I'm finally gonna get my vaccine! I'm so excited," she said. "I'm old enough to get it and I'm smart enough to get it, so I'm very happy that I'm gonna get my Moderna shot today."

Parton then changed the lyrics of her hit song "Jolene" to encourage others to get their vaccine.

"Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine / I'm begging of you, please don't hesitate," she sang. "Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine / 'Cause once you're dead, then that's a bit too late."

Parton's longtime friend, surgeon Naji Abumrad, administered her shot. Parton had made her April donation in Abumrad's honor.

Vanderbilt Health thanked Parton for her support on Instagram.

"Dolly's generous support helped fund early research at Vanderbilt Health into what is now a vaccine that's helping bring an end to the global COVID pandemic. We can't thank her enough for her support," the post reads.

Parton said on Today in November that she was hoping "to do good" with her donation.

"I'm just happy that anything I do can help somebody else. When I donated the money to the COVID fund, I just wanted it to do good," she said. "Evidently, it is. Let's just hope we find a cure real soon."