Flu, COVID-19 or a cold? How to tell the difference
As South Africa's winter respiratory-virus season continues, knowing whether your symptoms indicate flu, COVID-19, or a common cold is crucial. This guide helps you identify symptoms and decide when to seek medical advice.
As winter grips South Africa, respiratory viruses like flu, COVID-19 and the common cold continue to circulate. Determining which illness is responsible can be challenging due to shared symptoms. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), South Africa's 2026 influenza season began early in March, with A(H1N1)pdm09 being the most prevalent strain.
RSV and SARS-CoV-2 were also detected in samples. Influenza often comes on suddenly with fever, chills, body aches, headache, cough and fatigue. The common cold, on the other hand, tends to develop more gradually, causing milder symptoms like a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing and a sore throat. COVID-19 can mimic either virus, exhibiting symptoms such as cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, headache and fatigue.
Testing remains the most reliable way to confirm the diagnosis, as symptoms alone cannot distinguish between the three viruses with certainty. People with cold- or flu-like symptoms, particularly those at higher risk of severe illness, should consider getting tested, especially if they have been in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19 or if their symptoms worsen.
Seeking medical attention is advised if symptoms are severe, rapidly worsening or if there are signs of respiratory distress, chest pain or confusion. To prevent the spread of these viruses, it is recommended to improve home ventilation, wash hands frequently, and cover coughs and sneezes.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
