{
  "id": 1865519,
  "title": "Flu, COVID-19 or a cold? How to tell the difference",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/flu-covid-19-or-a-cold-how-to-tell-the-difference",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-19T03:55:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-08-19-flu-covid-19-or-a-cold-how-to-tell-the-difference/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}