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Tha an saoghal air a bhith ann an grèim galair. A bheil am briathrachas agaibh airson bruidhinn mu dheidhinn ‘Covid-19’ ann an Gàidhlig? An toiseach, a’ Ghàidhlig air virus. ’S e sin ²ú³óì´Ç°ù²¹²õ le ‘bh’. Canaidh sinn a’ ²ú³óì´Ç°ù²¹²õ airson ‘the virus’. Agus coronavirus? Uill, tha sin furasta – coròna-²ú³óì´Ç°ù²¹²õ. Coròna-²ú³óì´Ç°ù²¹²õ. Bidh sinn a’ bruidhinn air Covid-19 cuideachd. Agus bidh sinn a’ sgrìobhadh sin le ‘v’ seach ‘bh’.

Bidh sinn ag ràdh galar airson infectious disease. Nuair a tha e a’ sgaoileadh gu mòr, ’s e ³¾Ã²°ù-²µ³ó²¹±ô²¹°ù no galar-sgaoilte a th’ ann – an epidemic. Ach dè mu dheidhinn pandemic – nuair a bhios galar sgaoilte air feadh an t-saoghail? ’S e sin galar mòr-sgaoilte. Tha sin a’ dèanamh ciall, nach eil? Galar mòr-sgaoilte. Bidh gu leòr, ge-tà, a cleachdadh pandemic, mar a tha ann am Beurla. 

Agus infection? Uill, tha am facal fillte galar-ghabhail ann. Tha an ìre de ghalar-ghabhail ro mhòr an-dràsta. The rate of infection is too great just now. Ghabh e Covid-19. He caught or was infected by Covid-19. Tha gabhaltach a’ ciallachadh infectious. Tha an galar seo uabhasach fhèin gabhaltach. Tha na gnèithean ùra dhen ²ú³óì´Ç°ù²¹²õ nas gabhaltaiche. The new strains of the virus are more infectious.

Bu mhath leam a-nise sùil a thoirt air na fuasglaidhean airson Covid-19. Tha »åì´Ç²Ô²¹³¦³ó»å no ¾±´Ç²Ô-»å³óì´Ç²Ô²¹³¦³ó»å a’ ciallachadh immunity. Chan eil »åì´Ç²Ô²¹³¦³ó»å – no dìreach dìon – on ghalar seo aig gu leòr de dhaoine fhathast. Aig a’ cheann thall, ’s e ¾±´Ç²Ô-»å³óì´Ç²Ô²¹³¦³ó»å sluaigh a bhios mar fhuasgladh dhuinn. Sin herd immunity, nuair a tha dìon on ghalar aig earrann mhòr dhen t-sluagh.

Tha dà dhòigh airson ¾±´Ç²Ô-»å³óì´Ç²Ô²¹³¦³ó»å sluaigh a bhith ann. Anns a’ chiad àite, le sgaoileadh a’ ghalair fhèin. Bhiodh gu leòr a’ tighinn beò, agus iad air an dìon. Bhiodh anti-cuirp aca. Anti-cuirp – antibodies. Ach le Covid-19, bhiodh mòran daoine a’ faighinn bàs.

’S e an dòigh eile – a’ bhanachdach. Vaccination no vaccine. Gheibh daoine ²õ²Ôà³Ù³ó²¹»å leis a’ bhanachdach ann. Agus bidh am bodhaigean a’ cruthachadh anti-cuirp. 

Sin briathrachas feumail dhuibh. Bidh sinn beò an dòchas nach bi sinn feumach air, ach airson ùine bheag a bharrachd.

The world has been in the grip of a disease. Do you have the vocabulary to speak about Covid-19 in Gaelic? To begin with, the Gaelic for virus. That’s ²ú³óì´Ç°ù²¹²õ with a ‘bh’. We say a’ ²ú³óì´Ç°ù²¹²õ for ‘the virus’. And coronavirus? Well, that’s easy – coròna-²ú³óì´Ç°ù²¹²õ. Coròna-²ú³óì´Ç°ù²¹²õ. We also speak about Covid-19. And we write that with a ‘v’ rather than a ‘bh’.

We say galar for infectious disease. When it spreads a great deal, it is a ³¾Ã²°ù-²µ³ó²¹±ô²¹°ù or galar-sgaoilte – an epidemic. But what about a pandemic – when a disease is spread throughout the world? That’s a galar mòr-sgaoilte. That makes sense, doesn’t it? Galar mòr-sgaoilte. Plenty of folk, however, use ‘pandemic’, as it is in English. 

And ‘infection’? Well, there is the word galar-ghabhail. Tha an ìre de ghalar-ghabhail ro mhòr an-dràsta. The rate of infection is too great just now. Ghabh e Covid-19. He caught or was infected by Covid-19. Gabhaltach means infectious. This disease is particularly infectious. Tha na gnèithean ùra dhen ²ú³óì´Ç°ù²¹²õ nas gabhaltaiche. The new strains of the virus are more infectious.

I would like now to look at the solutions for Covid-19. ¶Ùì´Ç²Ô²¹³¦³ó»å or ¾±´Ç²Ô-»å³óì´Ç²Ô²¹³¦³ó»å mean ‘immunity’. Not enough people are yet protected from the disease. In the fullness of time, it is ¾±´Ç²Ô-»å³óì´Ç²Ô²¹³¦³ó»å sluaigh that will be our solution. That is [means] ‘herd immunity’, when a large section of the population are protected from the disease.

There are two ways to achieve herd immunity. In the first place, with the spread of the disease itself. Plenty of people would survive, protected. They would have anti-cuirp. Anti-cuirp – antibodies. But with Covid-19, many people would die.

The other way is [with] a’ bhanachdach. Vaccination or vaccine. People [will] get a jag [needle] with the vaccine in it. And their bodies will create antibodies. 

That’s a useful vocabulary for you. We shall live in hope that we won’t need it, except for a short time ahead.