TODAY marks one year since the UK was plunged into its first national lockdown.

On March 23, 2020, Boris Johnson announced a UK-wide lockdown, as the county’s cumulative Covid-19 death toll, which passed 100 on March 15, stood at just over 1,000 deaths.

It marked the day when most of us began working from home, were furloughed or our working lives changed dramatically with PPE and social distancing.

The journey started on January 23, when medics were called to what became the first confirmed Covid case in the UK.

A 23-year-old Chinese national called the NHS 111 phone line from his hotel room in York city centre.

In Hampshire, the first coronavirus case was confirmed on March 3, 2020, and on March 15, the first positive case was recorded in Southampton.

The Southampton case brought the county’s total up to 53 cases.

On March 16, 2020, the first Southampton patient with coronavirus passed away.

The University Hospital Southampton announced that a 69-year-old man who tested positive for COVID-19 had died.

One week later, the UK was locked down to protect the most vulnerable and help prevent further strain on our NHS.

Harrowing imaged were shared on social media and news outlets showing the extreme difficulties that NHS staff and frontline key workers were facing.

From bruising on the face cased by PPE to hospital workers lacking the necessary large scale supplies of personal protective equipment, and even the lack of life-support equipment needed, the nation watched in horror as the virus gripped the county and threatened our NHS.

A sense of widespread appreciation was developed for our NHS workers, the county took to their door steps with pots and pans.

In a way to show appreciation for those working on the frontline, the UK began a weekly Clap for Carers.

In Southampton, on April 21, an “inspiring” Southampton nurse passed away after she tested positive for Covid-19.

Hospital bosses have paid tribute to Katy Davis, 38, working in child health as a nurse at University Hospital Southampton.

Katy had underlying health condition and had been unwell for some time prior to her admission.

She tested positive for the virus on admission to hospital.

In April, a temporary mortuary was set up at Southampton Airport.

The temporary mortuary was set up on one side of the airfield known as the Grayson Site and it is completely separate from the passenger terminal and airport operations.

By June, most lockdown restrictions had been eased or lifted across much of the UK, though new rules – such as face masks in certain settings – were introduced and social distancing continued.

Hair dressers, pubs, restaurants and other local businesses were once again able to reopen to the public as cases and the death toll began to slowly drop.

By September, more local lockdowns were introduced and restrictions were tightened, culminating in new levels or ‘tiers’ of restrictions across parts of UK.

At the end of September, Southampton Airport was turned into a mass testing site, replacing the Tipner car park site in Portsmouth.

By November, the UK was plunged into another four-week national lockdown in a bid to tackle the increase of cases and deaths across the county.

The UK exited the second lockdown at the start of December.

Finally, on December 8, Second World War veteran Michael Tibbs was the first patient to use Hampshire’s vaccine hub at Portsmouth’s Queen Alexandra Hospital.

The former Royal Navy man was one of a number of people aged 80 and over who were first to receive the jab.

Michael, of Lynchmere, said: “I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s absolutely wonderful and feel really fortunate to have the vaccination.”

As part of a bid to roll out the two approved vaccines - the Pfizer/BioNTech jab and the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab the 56 sites have opened across the county.

The NHS began vaccinating people on December 7, marking the start of the biggest immunisation programme in history.

Hampshire first local hub was located at Portsmouth University Hospitals Trust - one of the first 50 hubs to be rolled out during the first wave.

Now, across the county, there are 56 vaccine hubs open to the public as part of a bid to tackle the virus.

In January 5, the country was locked down once again.

But now we have a light at the end of the tunnel.

The Government released a four-step plan to ease England's lockdown which could see all legal limits on social contact lifted by June 21.