Dolly Parton is in no rush to get the COVID-19 vaccine after she donated $1 million toward its development. In an interview with the Associated Press, the singer said she’s been putting it off because she doesn’t want it to look like she’s getting special treatment.
“I'm not going to get mine until some more people get theirs,” Dolly said. “I don't want it to look like I'm jumping the line just because I donated money.”
“I'm very funny about that. I'm going to get mine though, but I'm going to wait,” she added.
Dolly said she was originally planning on getting the vaccine on her 75th birthday on Jan. 19, but after much contemplation, she told herself, “Nah, don’t do that. You’ll look like you’re just doing a show.” And “none of [her] work is really like that.”
“I wasn’t doing it for a show,” she said.
However, when Dolly gets the shot, she plans on doing it “on camera” so she can encourage more people to get theirs.
“I’ll tell them the truth, if I have symptoms and all that,” she said. “Hopefully it'll encourage people. I'm not going to jump the line just because I could.”
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 26 million U.S citizens have already gotten their first vaccine shot. And once Dolly receives hers, she hopes that number will increase more quickly.
Besides, she knows how important it is for people in her age group to remain healthy.
“I plan to be around a lot longer. I don’t have [any] plans of slowing down because the number says I should,” she said. “I don’t pay attention to that. I wake up with new dreams every day.”
Dolly is a true leader and thanks to her help, the world can feel safe again after they receive their COVID-19 vaccine.
