Coronavirus entry 43: One year on

Today marks one year since the Government officially put us into national lockdown because of the Coronavirus, and on this very day last year, I started my first "Coronavirus entry" here on my blog. I noted how 281 people had died in the UK since the virus broke at the end of January and 5,683 people had been confirmed as having the virus. 365 days later and the Government website figures state 126,284 people have died within 28 days of a positive test in the UK alone and there are 148,125 deaths with Covid-19 recorded on death certificates.

A one minute silence took place at midday today to remember the victims of this awful pandemic and this evening, people have been lighting candles, and famous landmarks around the country have been lit up to signify this remembrance. 

It feels strange thinking about this day a year ago; saying goodbye to my colleagues work and sending messages to my family and friends, where we were all reiterating the same message - to keep in touch, and most importantly, stay safe. Nobody knew the extent of this virus, and even I admit to being a little naive about the whole situation, believing we would be back at work within a few weeks. 

Over the last 12 months we have seen mass panic as people stock up on food and home supplies; businesses - big and small - going into liquidation; a huge surge in redundancies, the NHS at breaking point, 3 national lockdowns and families torn apart with grief from losing their loved ones. 

We have also seen the most wonderful acts of kindness and support from all over the country. People have gone out of their way to donate money where they can, provide home made bakes and gifts for frontline workers and find ways collaboratively, to help supply food and meals to those who need it. Neighbours have joined together to clap for our heroes and have taken the time to look out for the elderly and vulnerable. 

Half of the UK adult population (approx 28 million) have now had their first vaccination and the Government are planning to get all adults immunised by the end of July. We are now slowly starting to come out of what we hope to be our last lockdown and begin living our lives as best we can, however we are already hearing from the Government that this may not be as fast acting as first hoped. 

Whatever happens over the next few weeks, today is one we should all reflect on. It has been one of the strangest years of our lives and has affected us all individually in so many ways. Going forward, I hope we can continue to unite together in support and love and do the best we can to help those who need it. My thoughts tonight are with the families who have lost loved ones and I am lighting my own candle in your memory.