I try very hard to avoid catching Covid, and so far I’ve succeeded.

But Mar and Jim, my former neighbors from when I lived in the Wissahickon area who moved around the same time I did, have not been so successful.

Recently they contracted the disease and took Paxlovid.

And they had the standard complaint about the vile aftertaste.

So when I saw this letter in today’s Electoral-Vote mailbag, I thought I’d pass it along:

E.S. in Half Moon Bay, CA, writes: (Z), I was glad to hear you rebounded quickly after contracting COVID. I have one tip perhaps to readers (not as retired physician but as a past COVID victim—thankfully mild due to vaccinations like you had!) Paxlovid does have an awful aftertaste. I discovered somewhat surreptitiously that blueberries counteract it. Having recommended it to friends, I can anecdotally confirm some validation of the observation. Worth a try as long as you don’t have any sensitivity to blueberries.

Even if blueberries don’t work for everyone, it seems like they’re worth a try.

Blueberries, at least, have their own rewards and usually aren’t that expensive. Although that might depend on where one lives.