Poster titled ‘Wear a face mask’, as displayed at the Science Museum NHS COVID-19 vaccination centre, 2021

Staff and volunteers wore Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including face coverings to protect themselves and those they came into contact with. Throughout the pandemic and prior to the vaccination roll out, face coverings along with hand-washing and social distancing were preventative measures introduced by the UK government.

After weeks of careful planning and installation, the NHS COVID-19 Vaccination Centre at the Science Museum first welcomed people to receive their COVID-19 vaccine on 11 March 2021. Run by NHS staff and volunteers, the clinic delivered over 122,000 doses to people over the course of a year. People had to pre-book their appointments when invited by the NHS. When the clinic first opened, the museum was closed to visitors but reopened on 19 May 2021 for five days a week.