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Pakistan to start commercial manufacturing of COVID-19 diagnostic kits — science minister

Pakistan Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry during an interview with Arab News in Islamabad, Pakistan June 12, 2020. (AN photo)
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Updated 14 June 2020
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Pakistan to start commercial manufacturing of COVID-19 diagnostic kits — science minister

  • Fawad Chaudhry says indigenous kits will significantly reduce the cost of virus testing
  • The minister also sounded optimistic about developing indigenous ventilators within a few weeks
Updated 14 June 2020
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has developed indigenous COVID-19 diagnostic kits that have been approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for commercial use and is likely to bring down the cost of coronavirus tests in the country, said Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry while talking to Arab News on Friday.
“We were mostly importing COVID-19 test kits from China. Now our scientists have developed our own Polymerase Chain Reaction equipment,” he said.
Chaudhry informed that the kit was developed by experts at the National University of Science and Technology with more than 90 percent accuracy which was about 20 percent better than the imported tests.
“It is a totally domestic kit and will help us reduce our import bill,” he added. “Likewise, it will bring down the cost of COVID-19 tests to one third of what it is.”
The minister also sounded hopeful about developing domestic ventilators within the next few weeks since clinical trials of four machines have already entered their final phase.
“Once these trials are over, we will ask commercial entities to start manufacturing these ventilators. In most of the countries, including the United States, motor companies are manufacturing ventilators. Therefore, we are also bringing motor companies into it. I hope we will be able to produce more than 100 ventilators in the first three months,” he said.
Chaudhry informed that the Ministry of Science and Technology had predicted that Pakistan would hit the COVID-19 peak in June.
“We are at the peak right now,” he continued. “However, it is hard to determine it in terms of numbers or duration since this virus spreads exponentially. Once it gets going, stopping it becomes quite difficult.”
The minister said the coronavirus pandemic would remain at its peak for more than two months in Pakistan.
“That is usually the time this virus takes to reach the peak,” he explained. “It will take about the same duration of two to three months to slow down the infection rate.”
Asked if a strict lockdown was the only way to control the spread of the virus, he reiterated his government’s position and maintained that smart lockdown was the only way forward.
“You cannot lockdown the whole country for an indefinite period,” Chaudhry said. “It is a country of 220 million people. A complete lockdown will trigger the shortage of food and other necessary items, making life difficult for many people in a country like Pakistan.”

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Topics: CORONAVIRUS PAKISTAN

Pakistan sends 7.5 tons of additional relief supplies to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah devastation

Updated 16 sec ago
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Pakistan sends 7.5 tons of additional relief supplies to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah devastation

  • Pakistan dispatches tents, tarpaulins, powdered milk aboard commercial flight from Lahore
  • Pakistan Army, Navy and rescue teams are already operating in Sri Lankan disaster-hit zones
Updated 16 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday dispatched an additional 7.5 tons of humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka following widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement.

More than two million people, nearly 10 percent of the population, have been affected by last week’s climate crisis-spurred floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century. Over 618 people have been killed.

Sri Lanka has issued a formal international appeal for emergency assistance, with Islamabad stepping up support on the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Monday’s relief consignment, including tents, tarpaulins and powdered milk, was flown to Colombo from Lahore on a commercial aircraft.

“NDMA has coordinated with airlines to ensure that all available cargo space on commercial flights is fully utilized for the rapid transport of relief items,” the disaster agency said. “This mechanism will continue in the coming days to dispatch further assistance as required.”

Pakistan has been supporting relief operations since the onset of the disaster. A Pakistan Army search-and-rescue team is currently operating in affected regions, backed by Pakistan Navy ships and helicopters assisting local authorities with evacuations and life-saving missions.

NDMA said Pakistan “stands firmly with the people of Sri Lanka in this difficult hour and will continue to extend all possible assistance to support ongoing rescue and relief efforts.”

The International Monetary Fund said on Friday Sri Lanka had requested financial assistance of about $200 million to address the destruction caused by the cyclone.

Topics: Sri Lanka Pakistan floods Cyclone Ditwah

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