March 11, 2020: The day the world changed when the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a pandemic

The world has been living through the COVID-19 pandemic for two full years now.

March 11 marks the second anniversary since the World Health Organisation officially declared the coronavirus a pandemic in 2020.

The first case was registered in Australia in January 2020, just a month after the novel coronavirus had become known to the world as it spread from Wuhan, China.

In the two years since, Australia has seen 3.5million cases of the virus, and has unfortunately registered 5,520 deaths.

It has also administed 54.7million vaccine doses, aquaiting to 80 per cent of the nation's eligible population.

NSW has seen the highest toll with 1.42million cases and 1964 deaths.

Originally thought not to be too infectious among humans, the coronavirus pandemic has now killed 6million people worldwide, making it one of the most deadly pandemics in history.

It is also responsible for infecting more than 450 million people globally.

After 247 days in lockdown, on October 5, 2021, Melbourne was named the world's most locked down city.

Meanwhile, last year, the ACT managed to vaccinate nearly 99 per cent of its eligible population, making it one of the most vaccinated places on the globe.

Most states and territories celebrated their 'freedom days' at the end of 2021 as the Delta outbreak was seen to be waning.

Only for Omicron cases to begin emerging in December 2021, causing cases to spike across the country.

Over the two years, Western Australia has spent the longest time with the hardest border restrictions, only re-opening to travellers from other states this month.

At the end of 2021, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt emphasised that the pandemic was quickly moving toward becoming endemic which led Prime Minister Scott Morrison in January 2022 to announce further measures aimed at helping Australians "respect the virus, but not fear it".