Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain is hopeful that the locally manufactured ventilators and testing kits would hit the market in the coming days, as Pakistan fights against the raging coronavirus pandemic. Talking to local media, Chaudhry said that the coronavirus testing kits developed by Pakistan’s National University of Science and Technology (NUST) have been handed to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for final approval. Similarly, the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has developed ventilators, in collaboration with NED and Pakistan Engineering Board, which will be handed over to DRAP this week. The minister said that he is in talks with various ministries and is hopeful that the products will hit the market in the coming days. Earlier, in a tweet post, Chaudhry said that two measures of the Ministry of Science were in the final stages of approval which includes the corona testing kits and ventilators “Two initiatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology are in final stages of approval 1) Corona Testing Kits (NUST) 2) Ventilators (PEC) this will immensely bring down costs of war against coronavirus. We have enhanced capacity of PCSIR production of hand sanitizers and health departments and banks are facilitating,” he tweeted. Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases in the country has crossed over 1600 tally. There are 508 confirmed coronavirus cases in Sindh, 593 in Punjab, 144 in Balochistan and 195 in KP. Similarly, Gilgit-Baltistan has reported 128 cases, Islamabad 51 and Azad Kashmir six. The country has reported 18 deaths due to the virus while 32 patients have also recovered.