London s Science Museum and Turin s Castello di Rivoli are just some of the museums that will be used as vaccine hubs
Museums worldwide, which are currently closed due to coronavirus restrictions, are doubling up as Covid-19 vaccine centres. In England, London s Science Museum is expected to open up for vaccinations, as is the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, while the Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds has been vaccinating patients since December last year. In Italy, the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art outside Turin will become the first gallery in the country to be used as a vaccine centre.
A number of shuttered arts institutions around the world have found a second calling as Covid-19 vaccination centers, the Art Newspaper reports. Among them are London’s Science Museum and the Black Country Living Museum (BLCM) in Dudley, UK. The Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds, UK, perhaps unsurprisingly, beat both of them to the punch, offering its gallery space for vaccinations back in December; it should be noted that the Thackray is conveniently located next door to St. James’s Hospital. In Italy, Turin’s Castello di Rivoli will partner with city health officials to offer vaccinations
A Bournemouth care home resident receiving the Pfizer vaccine. Credit: Steve Parsons/PA Wire The coronavirus crisis has caused grief and stress for millions in 2020, while turning everyday life upside down. Throughout the year the headlines have been grim, as the Covid-19 numbers got worse and worse here in the UK. Even the recent good news of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was tarnished by concern about a number of new variants or strains of coronavirus, which appear to be more infectious. These mutant versions of Covid have led to the year ending with a new wave of tough lockdowns, under the Tier 4 system.
The Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds, England, is being used as a Covid-19 vaccine centre Courtesy of The Thackray Museum of Medicine
The Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds is playing a part in the UK’s historic coronavirus vaccination programme by hosting a Covid-19 hub where people can receive doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The museum has adapted its conference area into a vaccination centre, which welcomed high priority patients this week including care home staff. The initiative was set up in partnership with Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation.
The museum, located next to St James’s Hospital, charts the history of medicine, housing a collection of 47,000 items of historical medical equipment. One of the galleries, called Disease Detectives, focuses on the technology used to diagnose ailments. Nat Edwards, the museum director, says in a statement: “Just to witness the very best of modern medicine in action alongside the whole hist