How are you keeping up with the latest news о коронавирусе (about coronavirus) in Russian? If you're still struggling a bit, here are the key Russian words and phrases you need to know to have Russian conversations about the virus with your friends, family, co-workers or medical personnel. While it isn’t your normal заболевание (illness), this medical-related Russian vocabulary will be useful if you need to describe a common простуду (cold).
The difference between epidemic and pandemic
Let’s start with the words эпидемия (epidemic) and пандемия (pandemic). Those are the top Russian words that you will come across in the Russian news about the coronavirus.
Эпидемия is a widespread outbreak of a disease in a community or region. If the disease continues to rise rapidly around the globe to include multiple countries and continents, it turns into пандемию.
The responses to the coronavirus
To help people stay safe, governments across the globe introduced a series of restrictions to fight коронавирус.
In Russia, at the beginning of пандемии people were regularly reminded of the importance of мыть руки (washing (your) hands) and носить маску (wearing a mask). Additionally, everyone was asked to practise cоциальную дистанцию (social distancing) which meant (where possible) staying home to work or study and avoiding close contact with other people when they were outside their house so no рукопожатий (shaking hands), объятий (hugs) or поцелуев (kisses) when they saw their friend while shopping for groceries. Greeting people this way was very common in Russia, and keeping the distance felt awkward and unfriendly, but it was what we all had to do to slow the spread of коронавируса.
Another response was изоляция (isolation) and карантин (quarantine). It's important to understand the difference between the two, as the Russian words differ considerably from their English equivalents. When Russian people are в изоляции (in isolation) or в самоизоляции (in self-isolation), they stay home and don't go out in public unless absolutely necessary. When Russian people are на карантине (on quarantine), they are legally restricted from leaving their house and, if living in a bigger household, (where possible) their bedroom. This is a stricter response as these people have tested positive and are contagious. If you got any of Russia's complicated lockdown rules wrong, you were liable to pay штрафы (fines), or in some cases, even get тюремный приговор (prison sentence).
In the worst months of 2020, many people looked forward to a time when COVID-19 no longer dominates our lives. In 2022, thanks to high levels of иммунитет (immunity) built up through vaccination and previous waves of infection, we might be entering this phase. But коронавирус is still infecting people around the globe, so we all need to do what we can to reduce the spread.
The symptoms of the coronavirus
First things first, know your симптомы (symptoms). Are you чувствуете слабость (feeling weak)? Are you чихаете (sneezing) a lot? Do you have высокая температура (fever)? Кашель (cough)? If you need to go to аптеку (pharmacy) за средствами от простуды (for cold medicines), don't forget надеть маску (to put on a mask).
Other common симптомы include: затруднённое дыхание (shortness of breath), головная боль (headache), тошнота (nausea), рвота (vomiting), понос (diarrhoea), потеря аппетита (loss of appetite). Let’s hope you won't have any of these! But if you do, звоните в скорую помощь (call an ambulance) - 103 from a mobile phone if you're in Russia.
To finish on a positive note, here's a little Russian joke.
Now, I couldn't possibly mention all the Russian words and phrases related to the coronavirus in this article, but if you hear a Russian expression that you’re not sure about or if you'd like to share what it's like during lockdown where you live, please let me know in the comments below.
Please берегите себя (take care of yourself) and stay safe and healthy!
Are you ready to test how well you remember the Russian words from this lesson?
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