Zafrullah’s condition slightly improves

Gonoshasthaya Kendra Founder and Trustee Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury has slightly recovered from pneumonia.

His requirement for oxygen support has also decreased, said Prof Brig Gen (retd) Mamun Mostafi yesterday.

Dr Zafrullah tested positive for coronavirus on May 24.

"He is feeling better. His physical condition had been unchanged over the last four days. The improvement is visible today," Mamun told The Daily Star.

The 79-year-old physician and freedom fighter has been undergoing treatment at the Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital. He had taken plasma therapy thrice. He is also suffering from lung problems.

Besides, he has been needing kidney dialysis.

For nearly three months, Zafrullah and a team of scientists have been working relentlessly to get Gonoshasthaya Kendra-developed rapid test kit -- GR Rapid Dot Blot -- approved for testing coronavirus infection.

Dr Bijon Kumar Sil, the lead researcher of Gonoshasthaya Pharmaceuticals, said Covid-19 causes damage to the lung the most and people die because of acute infection in the lung.

In Dr Zafrullah's case, the improvement in his lung is indeed encouraging, he said.

The team at Gonoshasthaya are studying some other kits. "He [Zafrullah] will come back to us with the blessing from people."

Zafrullah has been calling for emergency authorisation for the kit for large-scale testing.

The antibody test kit is of low cost and can help authorities with widespread testing and isolation -- the two most important things in curbing the spread of the coronavirus.