Dolly Parton Helped Fund Moderna's Research To Get Us Out Of This

Dolly Parton -- legendary musician, theme park entrepreneur, stealth lesbian love song writer, and now, a driving force behind ending the Covid-19 pandemic? Yep, you read that right. In true Dolly fashion, Parton may have a stake in getting us out of this nightmare, partially funding Moderna Inc's "game-changing" coronavirus vaccine. 

Back in April, the country music icon donated $1 million towards Covid-19 research at Vanderbilt University, located in her home state of Tennessee, after a friend informed her of a few promising treatments in the works. "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 that research of the coronavirus for a cure," Parton explained in an Instagram post last spring.  "I am making a donation of $1 million to Vanderbilt towards that research and to encourage people that can afford it to make donations."

Although at first, Parton says her contribution went towards working on interim Covid-19 treatments, some of the funds went towards developing Moderna's experimental vaccine, which is reportedly 94.5% effective for preventing Covid-19 based on a clinical trial analysis, according to NPR. The star was also listed as a sponsor on the vaccine's preliminary report, alongside the National Institutes of Health, NIAID, and Emory University. 

So far, the vaccine seems pretty promising. In the study of 30,000 participants, only 95 volunteers contracted coronavirus, only five of which were individuals who received the vaccine instead of a placebo. "This positive interim analysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease, including severe disease," Moderna's CEO, Stephane Bancel, explained in a statement. In other words? We may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after all. 

So what, exactly would Dolly do in these trying times? Do her darndest to help find a Covid-19 cure. 

For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram @HuntressThompson_ and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.