A taste of her own medicine: Dolly Parton gets COVID-19 vaccine

Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty ImagesDolly Parton has received her first round of the COVID-19 vaccine.

On Tuesday, the superstar shared an Instagram video from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville that she was “so excited” to be getting the vaccine.

“I’ve been waiting a while. I’m old enough to get it, and I’m smart enough to get it,” she quipped. She even offered an updated version of her hit “Jolene” to encourage others to get vaccinated by singing, “Vaccine/Vaccine/I’m begging of you please don’t hesitate.” 

“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,” she advised. 

Dolly donated $1 million to VUMC last year in honor of her friend Dr. Naji Abumrad, reports later showing that her donation help fund research for the Moderna vaccine, which she received a dose of administered by Dr. Abumrad.  

Leave it to Dolly to make getting a vaccine look fun, joking about needing to “look good” for the doctor and playfully remarking that “it didn’t take this long to film 9 to 5” as the doctor prepared the vaccination. 

The singer didn’t even flinch when the needle pierced her arm, remaining still throughout the process. “I did it, I did it!” she squealed with excitement after the shot was complete.  

By Cillea Houghton 
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