New Delhi, May 9 (IANS): The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday partnered with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to develop a fully indigenous vaccine for coronavirus.

According to a statement issued by the ICMR, the team will use the virus strain isolated at ICMR's National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.

"The strain has been successfully transferred from NIV to Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL). Work on vaccine development has been initiated between the two partners. ICMR-NIV will provide continuous support to BBIL for vaccine development. ICMR and BBIL will seek fast-track approvals to expedite vaccine development, subsequent animal studies and clinical evaluation of the candidate vaccine," read the statement.

According to the Union Health Ministry data, India has so far reported 59,662 Covid-19 cases of which 17,847 persons have been cured while 1,981 people have succumbed to the dreaded virus.