Medical science attraction hosts Covid-19 vaccination centre
Thackray Museum of Medicine, in Leeds, has a newfound function as one of the country’s first vaccination centres, as the NHS rolls out the first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations.
The move coincidentally fits in with the museum’s recent multi-million pound redevelopment. Its upgrade has seen emphasis placed on the history of learning to understand viruses and developing effective treatments to prevent and treat them.
An entire gallery, named “Disease Detectives” charts the discovery of diseases and the human ingenuity used to overcome them.
Laura Sellers, project curator at Thackray Museum of Medicine, said: “It has been over 200 years since Edward Jenner developed the vaccination for smallpox.
“Since then, experimental methods and research have led to the development of vaccines for measles, meningitis, polio, tuberculosis, and yellow fever.
“In our galleries you can find out about diseases from the past and how people have worked to prevent and cure them.
“The coronavirus vaccine represents a notable point in the history of disease and signals further development in vaccinology.”
Thackray’s conference centre has been adapted into a fully functioning space for vaccinations to take place.
Museum and NHS staff from Leeds and York Partnership NHS Trust have been working to hand over a large part of Thackray’s building in order to provide a safe, contained, and secure facility.
Nat Edwards, chief executive at Thackray Museum of Medicine, said: “There are precious moments in our lives when we encounter history in the making.
“It’s amazing to be able to host part of the world’s first public COVID vaccination programme.
“Just to witness the very best of modern medicine in action alongside the whole history of humanity’s centuries of effort to understand and overcome disease is hard to describe.”
The museum was due to reopen in summer 2020, following an 18-month long closure and multi-million pound redevelopment.
To help control the spread of the virus, the museum will continue to stay closed until restrictions are lifted.
